• Buber, Hammarskjold, the United Nations—and Shatte…

    The Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber (1878-1965) was among the most influential thinkers of his time. His writings had a powerful impact on the Swedish diplomat, Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961), who served as the second…
  • Paired Perspectives on the Parashah: Re'eh

    Re’eh: Not Cooking a Kid in Its Mother's Milk: 
  • When No Means Yes: Thoughts for Parashat Re'e…

    The commandments are given as a sign of love and caring; they provide a path to a meaningful, constructive and moral life. The “Thou shalt not”s are as important as the “Thou shalt”s.  "No" sometimes means "Yes, I care…
  • Mitchell First's book review of Rabbi Hayyim…

    Mitchell First, an accomplished scholar in his own right, has published a review of Rabbi Hayyim Angel's new commentary, The Heart of the Five Megillot.

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The Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber (1878-1965) was among the most influential thinkers of his time. His writings had a powerful impact on the Swedish diplomat, Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961), who served as the second Secretary General of the United Nations, from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. They shared a great dream for the U.N. which was founded in June 1945.
Re’eh: Not Cooking a Kid in Its Mother's Milk:  Pagan Ritual, Compassion, or Covenantal Discipline?  
The commandments are given as a sign of love and caring; they provide a path to a meaningful, constructive and moral life. The “Thou shalt not”s are as important as the “Thou shalt”s.  "No" sometimes means "Yes, I care about you."
Mitchell First, an accomplished scholar in his own right, has published a review of Rabbi Hayyim Angel's new commentary, The Heart of the Five Megillot. It appeared in The Jewish Link, July 30, 2026, page 127. Reviewing: “The Heart of the Five Megillot” by Rabbi Hayyim Angel (2026) 
In light of the new Pew study on Jewish affiliation, there will be a lot of hand-wringing about what the Jewish community can do to get people more engaged. My revolutionary suggestion? Get to synagogue
Where have all the idealistic student protesters gone? Why are their tents folded up and their bullhorns silent? Where are the humanitarians with their placards demanding “Stop the Arab Genocide” and “Free Sudan”? Where are the passionate op-eds and the politicians pointing accusing fingers?