This week’s Torah portion discusses the perplexing character of the Nazir or Nazarite. Nazir refers to a man or woman who makes a specific vow in order to become closer…
Hi Rabbi Fried, Can you please explain the difference between the Christian concept of praying to saints and our concept of praying at the graves of our righteous tzaddikim? Thanks,…
What you’re reading now isn’t the column I intended for today. But after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and its aftermath, riots both here and elsewhere are much more important. …
First of two parts.As Jews, we remind ourselves each Passover of our people’s search for freedom. We abhor those evil vestiges of the past and celebrate our freedoms.As immigrants to…
In the almost three years that I’ve lived in Israel, I’ve found that being gay here isn’t so different from being gay in America. Though there are differences in the…
The seven-week countdown to the holiday of Shavuot, the day when the Torah was given, has concluded. As part of the preparatory process of character refinement during this period —…
Dear Rabbi Fried,This year we were invited to join an observant family for a meal on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot (with social distancing, of course). We sort…
The best thing I’ve had from this extended period alone at home is extended time for reading — a variety of books, some of which I’d like to share, starting…
As a professor at SMU Dallas, I am saddened by mainstream media’s myopic view of pandemic-induced online education.Whether it be op-eds about students receiving inferior educations in virtual classrooms or…
This week’s Torah Portion is called Bamidbar, which means “in the wilderness,” and it is the first portion in the book of Numbers. Not too surprisingly, the action takes place…