There are several fascinating explanations regarding the meaning of Lag b'Omer and why 'holy fires' play such a prominent role.

The central theme of this week's Torah portion is that of the Sabbatical year, known as "Shemitta". Every seven years the land of Israel must lay dormant -- no agricultural work may be performed on the land. Right to this very day, the rules of Shemitta are observed and many Jewish farmers do not plant, prune, or even harvest. After seven Shemitta years -fifty years in total - was the "Yovel" - the Jubilee year.

What do the special laws regarding the priestly tribe have to do with leadership?

Nobody is immune from temptation, ever, and the only way to consistently live a moral, ethical life is to observe the commandments.

Never again will Jews be defenseless against those who would attempt to annihilate them!

We don't have to wait until Memorial Day to express gratitude to those who paid the ultimate price to establish and protect the Jewish state.

Israel's Independence Day is observed immediately after Memorial Day to remind us that without the sacrifice of Israel's fallen heroes there would be no triumphant future.

When giving charity, the most important principle is to respect the feelings and dignity of the people involved. Never embarrass anyone!

How much effect could just one act of religious observance have on the individual, the collective Jewish people and the world?

The idea of perfecting and partnering with God in creation is a recurring theme. God didn’t give us a perfect world, but rather, He gave us a perfectible one.

Adar is the most joyous of months, as the Talmud teaches, "When the month of Adar enters we increase our joy."

God is constantly communicating with us, but we must tune our spiritual radios to the correct station to 'pick up the frequency.'

A timeless verse from the Book of Esther continually challenges us to step up when we are called upon to take action!

From the Torah’s perspective, a great leader is one who has no ego and is able to “lower” himself to care for those who are “beneath him.”

Be a reliable person.

The word for "weaken" in Hebrew is "Tash." Take a three-cornered cookie, each representing one of the three forefathers, and you have "Haman tash" - "Haman was weakened."

Jews celebrate the Purim holiday with costumes, parties, food and drink. Yet the festivities are meaningful and permeated with spirituality.

The Torah teaches us that the key quality all great leaders must possess is the ability to let go of their egos and fight for the greater good, even at their own expense.

Don't just 'talk the talk,' but follow through and 'walk the walk' - one step at a time.

This week’s Torah portion is 'Ki Tisa' (Exodus 30:11–34:35) and it is action-packed, most notably, with the episode of the Golden Calf.

Moses teaches us that no matter how committed we are to an opinion or position in an argument, the relationship is always more important than the disagreement.

Only positive use of our mouth and tongue is considered true speech.

There is the bare minimum, and there is 'beauty.'

Our sages teach that clothing should have a sense of honor and glory -- we should not just wear 'anything.'

In this week's Torah portion, we learn a powerful lesson from the Biblical laws pertaining to slavery.

There has never been a Jewish court in history that took out an eye from one who caused another to lose an eye, or cut off the hand of someone who caused another to lose a hand.

This week’s Torah portion is 'Yitro' (Exodus 18:1–20:23), and in it we read about the Ten Commandments.

What's the difference between the 10 Commandments given at Sinai and the Seven Noahide Laws?

Jewish wisdom is full of insightful comparisons between the Jewish People, and trees and fruit.

As we learn from the behavior of the Egyptians, if we cannot control our anger, we may very well bring a plague upon ourselves.

Your dedication to fulfilling God's will, not your own, is the deciding factor when the chips are down.

Names play a prominent role in the book of Exodus in general, and in this week’s Torah portion in particular, providing an excellent opportunity to discuss Jewish naming traditions.

Don’t ever underestimate the value of even small gestures! God takes everything into consideration.

What was it about wagons that convinced Jacob that Joseph was really alive?

Enjoy your vacations, but remember: They complement life, they don’t replace it.

Rabbi Enkin presents an in-depth look at the fascinating Torah portion of "Vayishlach", complete with traditional commentaries from the Talmud, Midrash, Kabbala.

Shimon and Levi felt the pain of others. This value is an integral characteristic of the Jewish people. Who could better serve as role models and educators?

Jacob faced adversity head on, while his twin brother Esau pointed the finger at everyone but himself.

Abraham passed the greatest test in the Torah by refusing to follow the crowd and heeding God's word instead.

Why can't an Ammonite or Moabite "enter the congregation of God" and become part of the Jewish people?