About the Author

Rabbi Benjamin Blech

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a frequent contributor to Aish, is a Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, and lecturer. He is the author of 19 highly acclaimed books with combined sales of over a half million copies, A much sought after speaker, he is available as scholar in residence in your community. See his website at rabbibenjaminblech.com.

Click here to purchase Rabbi Blech’s new book, Hope Not Fear: Changing the Way We View Death.

Passover and the Eleventh Plague

Passover and the Eleventh Plague

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The linkage between Passover and Tisha B'Av offers us tremendous hope and comfort in this tragic time.

God and the Coronavirus

God and the Coronavirus

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What could be the meaning of a virus forcing millions into a “timeout” of quarantine and seclusion?

Coronavirus and Blaming the Victims

Coronavirus and Blaming the Victims

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When it comes to outbreaks, blaming the victim has a very long precedent, as Jews unfortunately know all too well.

The Shrine of Mordechai and Esther

The Shrine of Mordechai and Esther

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The Iranian government is threatening to demolish the tomb of Mordechai and Esther and turn it into a Palestinian consular complex.

Coronavirus and the Biblical Quarantine

Coronavirus and the Biblical Quarantine

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Be careful who you are exposed to.

Indifference or Collaboration: Which One is the Road to Auschwitz?

Indifference or Collaboration: Which One is the Road to Auschwitz?

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Does indifference to evil make you complicit?

Jewish Genius and Bret Stephens

Jewish Genius and Bret Stephens

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Don't confuse racism with hard-earned excellence.

The Monsey Hanukkah Horror

The Monsey Hanukkah Horror

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We Jews, descendants of the Maccabees, need to become more Jewish, not less Jewish.

Denying Anti-Semitism and Terrorism

Denying Anti-Semitism and Terrorism

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Camouflaging reality can’t hide the truth.

Sacha Baron Cohen, Facebook and Antisemitism

Sacha Baron Cohen, Facebook and Antisemitism

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We need to fundamentally reevaluate how “the greatest propaganda machine in history” spreads hate, conspiracies and lies.

Ok Boomer: Inter-Generational Warfare

Ok Boomer: Inter-Generational Warfare

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More and more young people are thinking that the older generation are incapable of offering rational opinions.

The Difference between Success and Happiness

The Difference between Success and Happiness

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Sukkot and the shortage of psychiatrists in Silicon Valley.

My Personal Miracle

My Personal Miracle

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I am the recipient of one miracle. Now I’m hoping for another.

“Our Boys”: The HBO Series Uses a Jewish Tragedy to Condemn Israeli Society

“Our Boys”: The HBO Series Uses a Jewish Tragedy to Condemn Israeli Society

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It's a despicable misrepresentation of truth.

Elul: How to Realistically Change the World

Elul: How to Realistically Change the World

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Start by thinking small - and in that way change ourselves and our own world.

The Mass Shootings: Tisha B’Av in America

The Mass Shootings: Tisha B’Av in America

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America needs a national day of introspection, reflection – and yes, repentance.

The Forgotten Twins: When a Baby is Left to Die in a Parked Car

The Forgotten Twins: When a Baby is Left to Die in a Parked Car

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The dangers of living on auto-pilot.

FaceApp: What You’ll Look Like 50 Years from Now

FaceApp: What You’ll Look Like 50 Years from Now

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No app can really predict what you will look like in 50 years, because you haven’t finished creating it.

The Moon Landing, 50 Years Later

The Moon Landing, 50 Years Later

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How can we explain mankind’s unquenchable thirst to discover what lies beyond our earthly home?

Messages from Your Loved Ones After They’re Gone

Messages from Your Loved Ones After They’re Gone

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Obsessed with death, a child of a Holocaust survivor creates an app that enables you to leave meaningful messages to loved ones.

Yesterday: The Beatles, The Movie and the Torah

Yesterday: The Beatles, The Movie and the Torah

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How could the world forget the Beatles?

Harvard’s Mistake

Harvard’s Mistake

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Doesn’t Harvard believe in forgiveness and redemption?

Burnout, Shavuot and Living with Purpose

Burnout, Shavuot and Living with Purpose

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Pursue meaning, not happiness.

Mount Everest and Mount Sinai

Mount Everest and Mount Sinai

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It is not the mountain that we conquer but it is ourselves.

The “New Germany” and the Kippah

The “New Germany” and the Kippah

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The government’s recommendation not to wear a kippah everywhere is an appalling reminder of a Holocaust strategy that failed.

The Best and Worst Commencement Speech of 2019

The Best and Worst Commencement Speech of 2019

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Oprah’s wise words and hitting rock bottom at NYU.

Lag B’Omer: Seizing Your Life’s Mission

Lag B’Omer: Seizing Your Life’s Mission

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Lag B’Omer is a remarkable enigma.

Kate Smith and the Game of Thrones' Latte

Kate Smith and the Game of Thrones' Latte

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A Starbucks latte in medieval England is merely ludicrous. Destroying lives and legacies without taking into account historic context is a far more serious distortion.

The Miracle of the Red Sea in Our Lives

The Miracle of the Red Sea in Our Lives

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How God lets us know that the events of our lives are not haphazard coincidence.

When Your Child is the Wicked Son

When Your Child is the Wicked Son

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We need to have faith not only in the Almighty but faith in our children.

Zachary Baumel’s Burial

Zachary Baumel’s Burial

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The entire nation came together to mourn.

Ilhan Omar, the Benjamins and Purim Today

Ilhan Omar, the Benjamins and Purim Today

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The Purim story’s warning of enemies who seek our destruction assumes such powerful relevance today.

Should We Forgive the ISIS Women?

Should We Forgive the ISIS Women?

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Mistakes should indeed be forgiven; crimes need to be punished.

Racism and Anti-Semitism: Why the Disparate Response?

Racism and Anti-Semitism: Why the Disparate Response?

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Why does racism, even from decades ago, end careers, but blatant anti-Semitism gets a pass?

Ted Bundy, Revulsion and the Holocaust

Ted Bundy, Revulsion and the Holocaust

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Are we losing our ability to feel horror at the face of pure evil?

Defaming Martin Luther King

Defaming Martin Luther King

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Michelle Alexander has given new meaning to the word chutzpah.

The New Gillette Ad: Be the Best Mensch You Can Be

The New Gillette Ad: Be the Best Mensch You Can Be

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Why Gillette’s new ad is creating quite a stir.

Saying No to Cremation

Saying No to Cremation

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We should not do to ourselves what our enemies have done to us – to burn the last remnant and reminder of people we loved.

My Father, FDR and the Rabbis March

My Father, FDR and the Rabbis March

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A Gallup poll omitted in new Holocaust exhibit shows that most Americans heard the voice of their consciences even though their President didn’t.

Why Hanukkah: 4 Insights Everyone Should Know

Why Hanukkah: 4 Insights Everyone Should Know

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Including the meaning of the oil and why turning it into the Jewish Christmas as antithetical to the holiday.

Keeping American Jews Jewish

Keeping American Jews Jewish

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American Jews don’t have to fear hate as much as they have to fear love.

Forgiveness after the Pittsburgh Massacre

Forgiveness after the Pittsburgh Massacre

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God does not forgive those who do not acknowledge that they did wrong and renounce the sinful behavior.

Why We Didn’t Win the Lottery

Why We Didn’t Win the Lottery

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And the remarkable true story about the stolen winning lottery ticket.

The Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

The Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

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A celebration of life in a house of God turned into a bloodbath.

Judaism and Death: Five Surprising Ideas

Judaism and Death: Five Surprising Ideas

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Your days are numbered, but it’s not the end.

Hating Men: A Response from Rabbi Blech

Hating Men: A Response from Rabbi Blech

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Can you hold off on my lynching until we discuss this in a more rational manner?

Hating Men: The New Racism

Hating Men: The New Racism

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Bigotry is unacceptable, except, it seems, when it comes to knocking men.

The Bucket List and Rosh Hashanah

The Bucket List and Rosh Hashanah

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Facing our mortality should drive us to fulfill our unique mission in the world, not jumping out of a plane.

Why Multitasking is Bad for You

Why Multitasking is Bad for You

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Studies show that multitasking is damaging our education, work performance and life.

The #MeTooMovement: When Men are the Victims

The #MeTooMovement: When Men are the Victims

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Innocence or guilt requires careful deliberation, no matter the gender of the accused.

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