Articles published on Aish.com

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Outsourcing Life

Outsourcing Life

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechA look behind the new phenomenon of mourners for hire and friends for rent.


Defining Success: Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?

Defining Success: Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhat will you leave behind: an inheritance or a legacy?


How to Die

How to Die

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe doctor wasn’t smiling. “There’s no way I can sugarcoat it. You have a rare, fatal disease and there is no known cure.”


The Cult of Self Esteem

The Cult of Self Esteem

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIn real life, not everyone is a winner.


The Facebook Fiasco

The Facebook Fiasco

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechYou don’t need to be religious to appreciate the dangers of the Internet.


The 5 Most Important Things to Know About Passover

The 5 Most Important Things to Know About Passover

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechOur greatest contributions to the world summarized in five words: memory, optimism, faith, family, and responsibility.


Egypt, Iran & the Passover Miracle

Egypt, Iran & the Passover Miracle

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechGod may guarantee the survival of the Jewish people, but individually, the existential threat is alarmingly real.


The Tragedy In Toulouse

The Tragedy In Toulouse

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechTo be a Jew is to be a magnet for hatred, no matter how unjustified and irrational.


A Jewish Valentines Day

A Jewish Valentines Day

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechLove is the ultimate mitzvah.


Too Many Options

Too Many Options

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe marriage crisis and why singles today don’t want to commit.


That Sinking Feeling

That Sinking Feeling

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe tragedy of the Costa Concordia.


Steve Jobs' Last Words

Steve Jobs’ Last Words

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe most important quote of the year.


Assimilation & the Chanukah Oil

Assimilation & the Chanukah Oil

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechUnderstanding the meaning of the Chanukah battle, a war unlike any other.


3 Secrets to a Long and Happy Marriage

3 Secrets to a Long and Happy Marriage

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechHow to be happily married for more than 50 years.


Jews and Thanksgiving

Jews and Thanksgiving

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhy the whole world should be Jewish.



Looking for Happiness in all the Wrong Places

Looking for Happiness in all the Wrong Places

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechSukkot is here and the search is over.


Yom Kippur: The Blessing of Failure

Yom Kippur: The Blessing of Failure

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechRecognizing our shortcomings is the only way to achieve success in life.


Shana Tova?

Shana Tova?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechCan we be optimistic about the coming new year?


9/11: Forgive and Forget?

9/11: Forgive and Forget?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWe are not the ones who have the right to make that decision.


The Day Osama Died

The Day Osama Died

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechDoes Bin Laden’s death bring a sense of closure? It better not.


My Encounter with Hemingway

My Encounter with Hemingway

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechJudaism is a religion of life.



Death, My Companion

Death, My Companion

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe doctor told me I had a fatal disease, and at age 77 I realized I’m actually going to die.


Ten Questions for Ten Days

Ten Questions for Ten Days

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechHow to prepare for the High Holy Days.


For God's Sake

For God’s Sake

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe challenge of our age: not to desecrate God’s holy name with acts that profane all that He stands for.


Judgment Day on Wall Street

Judgment Day on Wall Street

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIs Wall Street sending us a Rosh Hashanah message?


Are Business Ethics an Oxymoron?

Are Business Ethics an Oxymoron?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechOur daily business ethics speak far louder than the words we utter in synagogue.


In Memory of Leiby Kletzky

In Memory of Leiby Kletzky

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThere are no words, only tears.


Insulting God

Insulting God

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechDon’t be afraid to ask.


Sinai for Non-Jews

Sinai for Non-Jews

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhat makes the giving of the Torah so universally relevant and necessary?


Von Trier's Cannes Controversy

Von Trier’s Cannes Controversy

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechDoes art stand apart from the artist? What if the artist is Hitler?


The Royal Wedding

The Royal Wedding

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechRespect for royalty is a training ground for worship of the Almighty.


Freedom Without Limits?

Freedom Without Limits?

by Rabbi Benjamin Blech“Let my people go” is only half the story.


Japan's Black Swan

Japan’s Black Swan

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhat could go wrong? The significance of unexpected events in history.



My Personal Purim Miracle

My Personal Purim Miracle

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechI’ll never forget the moment I was just a prop used in a larger, cosmic drama.


God's Inception

God’s Inception

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe Oscars, Judaism and the power of dreams.


Egypt, Again

Egypt, Again

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechHow the country’s turmoil resonates with a striking biblical parallel.


Israel's Presidential Scandal

Israel’s Presidential Scandal

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIsrael has not forgotten the biblical message that even the mighty are culpable for their crimes.


The Mark Madoff Tragedy

The Mark Madoff Tragedy

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechDo the sins of the fathers get transmitted to the children?


Is Christmas Good For the Jews?

Is Christmas Good For the Jews?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe greatest challenge to our faith is not another faith, but faithlessness.


WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechDoes the fact that something is true always justify its being made public?


Chanukah and Burnout

Chanukah and Burnout

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhy didn’t God simply give the Jews an eight-day supply of oil?


Hacked

Hacked

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechI contacted the scammer in Nigeria who stole my email account and he actually replied.


The Social Network

The Social Network

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe genesis of Facebook has its source in the Book of Genesis.


Miner Miracle

Miner Miracle

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechConfronting the struggle between this world and the next.


The Star of David and the Mosque

The Star of David and the Mosque

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIt’s no accident that the NYC mosque is covered with the Jewish symbol.


When the Holidays Are Over

When the Holidays Are Over

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe most important days of the year are about to begin.


A Film Unfinished

A Film Unfinished

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe contemporary relevance of a discarded Nazi propaganda film.


Facebook Friends

Facebook Friends

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechAre we forgetting what it means to have a real friend?


The Curse of Plenty

The Curse of Plenty

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhy Israel wasn’t blessed with an abundance of oil.


The Oil Spill

The Oil Spill

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechA good name is more precious than all the oil in the world.


Start at the Bottom

Start at the Bottom

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechJohn Wooden and his remarkable shoelace lesson.


When Apologies Aren’t Enough

When Apologies Aren’t Enough

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhy we should not forgive Helen Thomas.


Law and Order

Law and Order

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechMy brush with TV stardom taught me that there’s very little reality in television.


The Buried Seder Plate

The Buried Seder Plate

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe tragic fate of one survivor’s remarkable heirloom.


Modern Miracles

Modern Miracles

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechCoincidence is God’s way of choosing to remain anonymous.


Avatar and the Jews

Avatar and the Jews

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe connections with Torah and Hebrew words are just too frequent and striking to be accidental.


The Tefillin Bomb

The Tefillin Bomb

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe irony of tefillin threatening the lives of innocent people.


Haiti and Israel

Haiti and Israel

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhy Israel gives humanitarian aid whether or not it is appreciated or acknowledged.


Tiger Woods and Chanukah

Tiger Woods and Chanukah

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIs a beautiful golf swing enough to make you a hero?


Cruel Comfort

Cruel Comfort

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechDos and don’ts at a shiva house.


Life after Death

Life after Death

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhat matters most is maximizing our life before death.


Bernie & The Godfather

Bernie & The Godfather

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechTwo contemporary morality tales convey the same important message.


A Serious Man

A Serious Man

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIf only the Coen brothers were serious.


It’s A Wonderful Life

It’s A Wonderful Life

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe film’s powerful Rosh Hashanah message.


“The Secret” Revealed

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechGod as a cosmic bellhop.


The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThis well-meaning book ends up distorting the Holocaust.


No Bread

No Bread

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechPassover & four questions for a financial crisis.


The Fifth Question: Pessimist or Optimist?

The Fifth Question: Pessimist or Optimist?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechPassover is the story that answers man’s existential quest for spiritual connection.


Compassion-itis

Compassion-itis

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechReleasing the Lockerbie bomber is a perversion of morality.


My Encounter with the Pope

My Encounter with the Pope

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWas I wrong at that moment to believe it’s at last possible to cast off centuries of mistrust, misunderstanding and religious intolerance?


No Bread

No Bread

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechPassover & four questions for a financial crisis.


The Madoff Madness

The Madoff Madness

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechHonor and dishonor in the Jewish community.


Kristallnacht: Murder by Euphemism

Kristallnacht: Murder by Euphemism

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechTo remember Kristallnacht properly, we must first renounce its German-given name.


The Michelangelo Code

The Michelangelo Code

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIs the Sistine Chapel the site for the greatest subversive act in the history of art?


When The Dow Goes Down

When The Dow Goes Down

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechA Jewish perspective on the widening financial crisis.


The Golden Compass Controversy

The Golden Compass Controversy

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechShould this film be boycotted?


Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains

Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe film is as painful to watch as your last root canal, without the benefit of gaining something positive from the experience.


Jews and Power

Jews and Power

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIf Jews are so smart, how come we are so stupid?


Intermarriage and the N.Y. Times

Intermarriage and the N.Y. Times

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIs there ever any line that is crossed that calls for communal condemnation?


A Flawed

A Flawed “Mighty Heart”

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe film’s message is antithetical to the real meaning of Daniel Pearl’s murder.


Where Was God in Virginia Tech?

Where Was God in Virginia Tech?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechGod’s seeming indifference is in fact an expression of His greatest gift to mankind.


Greed

Greed

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechGordon Gekko is alive and well. Meet his rival.


“The Da Vinci Code” and the Jews

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe controversial book highlights the fundamental differences between Judaism and Roman Catholicism.


Oprah's Choice

Oprah’s Choice

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe powerful message of Elie Wiesel’s Night.


Spielberg Phone Home

Spielberg Phone Home

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechMunich is a distortion of truth and morality.


Your Money or Your Life

Your Money or Your Life

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechAs a generation blessed with abundant wealth, Sukkot ensures that we keep our priorities straight.


Why Seven Is Holy

Why Seven Is Holy

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechOn Shabbat, we shut out the world so we can hear our soul.


The Tsunami and God

The Tsunami and God

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechLet our primary question in the wake of this tragedy be not “Why did it happen?” but rather “What can I do to help?”


The Passion: The Movie and the Aftermath

The Passion: The Movie and the Aftermath

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechPerhaps our best response to this Hollywood missionary effort is to look inward and take pride in the beauty of our own faith.


Mel Gibson and the Jews

Mel Gibson and the Jews

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechHis latest lethal weapon? Mel’s film promises spiritual inspiration but instead evokes the kind of rage that for centuries past resulted in ruthless acts of retribution.


If I Were a Rich Man

If I Were a Rich Man

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechLosing a lot of money, just like suddenly making millions, forces you to confront your real priorities in life.


Envy

Envy

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechOur obsession for acquiring wealth has far less to do with our personal wants than with our refusal to have less than others.


When Bad Things Happen

When Bad Things Happen

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechIf God is good, why is the world so bad?


Condemning the Terrorists

Condemning the Terrorists

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechSeptember 11th and the danger of moral relativism.


Are First Grade Kids Killers

Are First Grade Kids Killers

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe tragedy of a first grader killing his classmate should not cloud our vision of the greater picture which is always getting better.


Why 2K?

Why 2K?

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWorried about the Year 2K problem? Relax. The Jewish people already solved that 3,760 years ago.


Justice, Justice, Shalt Thou Pursue

Justice, Justice, Shalt Thou Pursue

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThere is a difference between punishment and vengeance.


Never Again

Never Again

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhat is this seeming obsession Jews have to remember the Holocaust?


The Voyage of the Damned

The Voyage of the Damned

by Rabbi Benjamin Blech“Any port in a storm” as the saying goes… unless the passengers are Jewish refugees.


The Silence of the World

The Silence of the World

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechOne of Hitler’s greatest allies in the holocaust was the indifference of the world.


The Eichmann Trial

The Eichmann Trial

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechThe trial of the man who Hitler chose to carry out the “Final Solution”.


The Nuremberg Trials

The Nuremberg Trials

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhat happens when there is a conflict between human values and the law of the land?


The Silence of the Lamb

The Silence of the Lamb

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechCould the victims somehow be seen as accomplices in their own death?


Civilized Murderers

Civilized Murderers

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechSurely a highly educated and highly cultured society would also have a high level of ethics…


Six Million: The Problem With Numbers

Six Million: The Problem With Numbers

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechDo the enormous numbers of the Holocaust depersonalize it?


The Uniqueness of the Holocaust

The Uniqueness of the Holocaust

by Rabbi Benjamin BlechWhat makes this different from any other event in history?