Michael Freund

In the weeks ahead, Israelis will argue fiercely about the election and the country’s future. Jews elsewhere will have their own arguments about Israel, politics, and the Jewish community's future.

Shmini Atzeret’s Temple haftarah takes on new meaning as Jews increasingly pray and perform mitzvot on the Temple Mount.

That daily uncertainty has been absent for months, but this is the first Sukkot on which its absence can be felt in the festival itself.

The families of those murdered on September 11 deserve to know what the US government knows about the worst terrorist attack in the nation’s history.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of that terrible day, this week’s haftarah (Isaiah 61:10-63:9) offers a powerful perspective on destruction, rebuilding, and memory.

Marvel stars have joined a campaign to free Marwan Barghouti, overlooking his five murder convictions and the victims of his attacks.

Jerusalem has endured exile and loss, but Isaiah tells her not to look only at what has been destroyed. She must look ahead to what will be rebuilt.

Palestinians cannot repeatedly pass up opportunities, embrace or tolerate violence instead, and then insist that someone else is solely responsible for the consequences.

Neglecting the body is not an expression of faith. Exercise, proper rest, and healthy habits are part of the Jewish obligation to protect the life entrusted to us.

Isaiah declares, “Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as the dust on the scales... All the nations are as nothing before Him” (Isaiah 40:15,17).