Moshe Kohn (Rosenberg)

We are the Rosenbergs. Or rather, we were the Rosenbergs. As of Thursday, the 4th day of Chanukah, we are now the Kohns. How and why did that happen? First, some background. I was privileged to grow up knowing my paternal grandparents, Yishai and Gitel Ro...

It’s not often that a fruit gets so much attention. I can’t remember exactly when and how I heard about it (was it on NPR or Quartz?), but around two years ago I found out about a new apple being developed that was poised to be one of the biggest fruit la...

Dear Readers, Do you want to be pious (literally, a chassid)? The sages in the Talmud advised us to adopt three behaviors to attain this goal: Not to damage others (physically or otherwise). To live by the ethical teachings of our sages. To observe the la...

Dear Friend, As I rip the last month off my calendar and expose a fresh year, I think back to how I imagined this era twenty years ago. Flying cars! Self-tying shoes! Virtual-reality holograms! Hoverboards! Teleportation! This is supposed to be a breakout...

Dear Friend, My eldest son just became bar mitzvah on Yom Kippur (by the way, this section was a great prep tool). What is remarkable was that he even needed to show up to synagogue. After all, he entered Yom Kippur with a clean slate—so why ask forgivene...

Dear Friend, If you’re in the Northeast like me, you’ve had enough of winter. You want it away, and if it won’t go away then you will. Thankfully, Chabad has you covered. With Purim just around the corner (March 4-5), Chabad will whisk you to a local Puri...

Dear Friend, Who doesn't love rainbows? They are so beautiful and colorful. Catching sight of them before they fade is exciting. But did you know that the rainbow has a spectrum of Jewish meaning as well? In this week’s parshah, Noach, we read that after ...

Dear Friend, My nine-year-old son has an obsession with this week’s Torah portion, Massei. You see, the Torah is chanted in public using a special tune, read from cantillation marks (known as trope). Now, two of the rarest cantillations (named karnei-fara...

I will admit: like most people my age, I am literally tied at the hip to my smartphone. I use it for entertain­ment and study on my daily commute, to keep up to date on the latest news and, of course, to pass time (think Angry Birds) waiting in line. With...