Tikkun Olam

                                                    While in Israel this past summer, I bought Rabbi Trugman's (of Ohr Chadash ) new commentary on the Torah, Orchard of Delights , recently reviewed in the Baltimore Jewish Examiner .  I had already been listening with rapture during Shabbatot at my younger son's home to several divrei Torah , or Torah lessons (literally,"words" of Torah), which he gave over at his Shabbat table from Rabbi Trugman's book.  The manner in which RavTrugman interweves the spiritual and physical filled me with wonderment. His teachings lend credence to physicist and theologian Gerald Schroeder's philosophy manifested in his books (two of which I have read, and a third, God According to God , which ...

An article on Israel National News indicated that a CBS survey showed more and more Israelis are becoming observant in their Judaism.  Life just has more meaning, when you believe there is more to it than merely the physical world in which we live, when you believe there is an underlying reason for our existence.  What sense does it make for a tiny nation such as Israel is to exist in an arid, originally inhospitable land, surrounded by many, larger enemy countries seeking its destruction, constantly under physical threat?  It makes no sense at all, except for G-d-given ancient Judaism which gives us Divine reasons for living in the Land of Israel.  A special Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) survey has found that more Israeli Jews are becoming increasingly religiously observant than the reverse. 21% of those surveyed said they are currently more religious than they were in the past, while 14% say they are less religious. After all, what is the purpose of ou...