This week’s Torah portion, Devarim, which opens the fifth book of the Torah of the same name, finds Moshe beginning his tragic farewell speech to the Jewish people: “Eileh Ha’Devarim Asher Diber Moshe El Kol Yisrael Be’Ever Ha’Yarden….” “These are the words which Moshe spoke to the entire Jewish people on the other side of the Jordan…” (Devarim 1:1) more

In his letter to the editor [“The president, not Dunetz view, changed,” July 5], Michael Brenner asked. “One wonders: Did Jeff Dunetz change his mind, or is it just that the party in the White House changed?” If Mr. Brenner had read my article more closely he might have noticed this paragraph where I talked about my change of opinion: more

It’s about to get biblical with Darren Aronofsky‘s grand re-revisionist telling of the Biblical flood; Noah will storm theaters next spring. No footage has been released of the $130 million epic, but this being Hollywood, I for one am a little nervous as biblical epics seldom satiate — they are generally too irreverent for the faith-based and way too reverent for the armchair agonists who are choking on their popcorn. more

Following the ugly battle between the Egyptian military and Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi, resulting in Morsi’s ouster on July 3, as well as the ongoing bloodbath in Syria, the arguments for the preservation of the Jordanian model—politically moderate, more democratic than its neighbors, and proudly Islamic yet amenable to good relations with western nations and with Israel—are self-evident. more

The Senate passed the “Comprehensive Immigration Bill” by a wide margin. The bill was full of pork — it had something for everybody with the one exception that it did not have anything for those who wanted the United States’ borders secured. The border security amendment praised in the press had holes in it so large you could drive a space shuttle through any of them. more

Have you ever been locked out of your car or home? In the past, it rarely happened, as I tended to leave my front door open. I figured no one was going to try to break into the front door (actually, they could have just walked in). Yes, I know, it wasn’t very smart. There were times as well, when inadvertently, I, or my daughter Jordana, would forget to lock our cars. more

As the Torah depicts the early travels of the Israelites, small details from famous stops are recalled. “They crossed the Red Sea toward the desert. They then traveled for three days through the Eitam Desert, and they camped in Marah. From Marah to Elim — in Elim there were 12 water springs and 70 palms. … They left Alush and camped in Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.” (33:8-14) Does the Torah intend to list stops on the journey, or to recall significant events? more

Dear Editor: I read, with great interest, the article “Irish eyes aren’t smiling on Israel” [The Jewish Star, June 28] and the quote from Paddy Monaghan asserting that the Irish “are relational people. Israel needs to take the time to explain…” Unfortunately, my two trips to Dublin, in the 1970s and 1982, convinced me otherwise. more

For those Jews who have wanted to “mainstream,” they got it. We’re now part of the Bravo equal opportunity bashing brand in their offering, “Princesses: Long Island.” Along with the Housewives of Beverly Hills, New York, Orange County, New Jersey, Atlanta and a whole lot of Shahs, Bravo has now turned to us, to prequel how “perfectly normal” people can become fighting lushes with extensions, implants, and lips the size of canal boats. more

One hundred and fifty years ago this week, a battle was fought that was destined to define our nation for all time — not through the strategic military prowess of our troops, although that was a factor, nor through our overwhelming military might, but rather through a two minute speech that was to be given over four months later on that same battle site. more