By Gary Slutkin
I am an infectious disease epidemiologist who worked at the World Health Organization on epidemics in over 25 countries around the world.
As a physician and member of the Jewish community, I prize the Jewish teaching that places the saving of a life above all other laws and practices. It is my expert opinion that as a result of the emergence of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, the Jewish community (along with all religious and community groups) must change what we are doing immediately: We need to suspend our usual religious services and social gatherings.

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For more info email the4minuteshiur@gmail.com.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Here we are, days after Purim, with the feelings and sounds of joy reverberating in our souls, perplexed by what we can do to keep the euphoria going a while longer. The real world, with its many concerns, invades the Purim bubble and we seek protection. A new virus is creating anxiety, and people everywhere fret over the disease and its repercussions. Yet, through it all, we are told to be happy…and who doesn’t want to be happy?
What are we to do? The concept is so simple, the pursuit is so universal, yet, for so many, it is so unattainable.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
It was during that last Purim hour, during the moments when day slowly turns to night and the sky begins to darken. Inside the crowded room, a rebbi and talmidim sat around a table, their songs, Torah and quips joining into a burst of sound, as the holy noise of Purim rose heavenward.
At one end of the long table, its surface covered with a wine-stained cloth and festively-arranged bottles, a talmid raised a question. He quoted the Gemara, referred to extensively in halachic discussion of the obligations of the Purim seudah, which recounts how Rabbah rose and slaughtered Rav Zeira (Megillah 7b).

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
The Gemara in Maseches Megillah (4b) discusses the possibility of observing Purim and reading the megillah on Shabbos. Rabbah and Rav Yosef agree that Megillas Esther cannot be read on Shabbos, but they dispute why that is.

By Dov Fuchs
It baffles the mind. Israel is actually holding another election. If the prospects for  the upcoming  campaigns  would vary, even slightly, from the first two, perhaps there’d be some motivation to get involved.  But for the third time in a  year, “thrice the price”, with an added deficit of millions of desperately needed shekalim, we are back to square one.  Nothing has changed. It’s the same politicians at each other’s throats, making incessant  campaign promises that are either outright lies, total hypocrisy or simply  delusional.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
In the world in which we live, truth is a rare commodity. Fiction, deviation, misinformation and half-truths are pervasive. The only way to have a real connection to the truth is by following the Torah. Mishpotim, the laws that govern finances, must have a basis in the Torah in order for them to be truthful and just.
In focusing on Parshas Yisro, which teaches us about Mattan Torah, and in Mishpotim, the parsha that follows, a theme emerges. The drama and glory of Maamad Har Sinai were an introduction to the laws governing how we deal with each other.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
This week, we learn of the zenith that man reached when the Bnei Yisroel were given the Torah at Har Sinai. The moments at Sinai were the culmination of the world’s creation, as Chazal derive from the word bereishis, with which the Torah begins. They say, “Bereishis, bishvil Yisroel shenikreu reishis, bishvil haTorah shenikrais reishis.”

Haaretz Hatovah
Real Life Stories and Experiences of Yidden Settling in Eretz Yisroel.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz 
How many times do you hear people discussing something and exclaim, “That’s insane.” The truth is we are living in insane times. So much of what goes on really is insane.
Let’s take a look at the news. As soon as President Donald Trump was sworn in, the Washington Post called for his impeachment. Impeachment? He just got into office. He didn’t even do anything yet. How could he be impeached and on what basis? It didn’t matter.