Author Archives: Rabbi George Gittleman

Death don’t have no mercy in this land, Oh death don’t have no mercy in this land.  Well he’ll come to you house and won’t stay long, Next thing you know one of your loved ones will be gone.  Oh … Continue reading →

As a parent I thought I had some insight into why Israel agreed to the terms of Gilad Shalit’s release: 1,000 Palestinians freed from jail, hundreds of them with blood on their hands, for his freedom. I thought to myself, … Continue reading →

One of my favorites stories about the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism is about his morning prayer practice. Apparently he would daven Shacharit (pray the morning service) much longer than his followers and they became accustomed to waiting … Continue reading →

Hineini, here I am. Tonight I want to explore with you this rare – it only appears 8 times in Torah – and important word. Hineini. The first hineini is uttered by Abraham as a response to God’s call at … Continue reading →

The Hassidic saying attributed to Rabbi Levi Yitzkhak of Birditchev, kol haolom kulo gesher tzar meod v’ha-eekar lo l’fakhed klal/The whole world is a narrow bridge but the essence is not to be afraid, has been running through my head … Continue reading →

Not long ago I watched the movie, “127 Hours”. It’s about an extreme outdoor athlete who, while out on a solo hike in the Arizona Desert, gets trapped in a canyon, his arm pinned by a boulder that fell while … Continue reading →

Not too long ago my 16 year-old nephew Josh asked me, “what is a Jew?” His high school humanities teacher had insisted that “Jews were a race.” Josh knew this wasn’t true but was struggling to find a better definition, … Continue reading →

“My heart is in the east, while I am on the edge of the west” wrote the famous medieval poet, rabbi and philosopher, Yehudah Halevi. His words, his longing, his life, reflect the ancient and profound connection between the Jewish … Continue reading →