Rabbi Wolpe - ADL Impressions

Sixty-three years ago, President John Kennedy famously proclaimed, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Recently, I visited West Point to speak at “Warriors Weekend” – which gathered Jewish...

How does the prophet respond when the people are suffering? Isaiah says, speaking in God’s name: “For a moment I hid My face from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you (Isaiah 54:8).” Our hearts remain...

Judaism proposes laws that are considered the bare minimum of society. They are called the Noahide laws – or the seven laws of the sons of Noah. Among them are laws against theft and murder of course, but also the...

“You are children of the Lord your God. You shall not gash yourselves or shave your head because of the dead” (Deuteronomy 14:1). Asking why the two statements are juxtaposed – 1) that you are children of God and 2)...

This week begins with very provocative words: “If you listen.” In that phrase alone, you find a secret of the remarkable survival of the Jewish people. What is it we listen to? From the time we are children, we love...

There is no obligation to have a favorite biblical verse. In the Talmud, a couple of Rabbis identify favorite verses, but most do not. If I had to choose, I would select a verse from this week’s parasha, Deut. 4:9...

Before Israel enters the land, Moses recounts their history. He discusses the wandering, the gathering at Sinai, the episode of the scouts, and much more. This parashah of the Torah, Devarim, is always read before the commemoration of destruction on...

After the final campaign east of the Jordan river, the nation is ready to advance into Israel and enter the Promised Land. But there are two, eventually two-and-a-half, tribes that want to stay in the land they have recently conquered....

When I was in college, I studied for a year abroad in Scotland. There I met an English student named Justin who told me, quite plainly, that he had never liked Jews. When I asked him why, he explained that...

Tuesday is the the 17th day of the month of Tammuz. For many Jews this date holds no significance, but in Jewish history and observance, it matters a lot. And I recently had two experiences that reminded me anew why...