SOME TIME AGO during the first Persian Gulf War, a major American magazine interviewed Saddam Hussein. Curious, I read the article and was surprised to read a few things.

Shemen zayis—olive oil—and the Jewish people go back a long way, even to before there was a Jewish nation. Before Ya’akov was even married, he anointed a monument he had built after waking up from his dream of the ladder.

Sunday night is the first day of Chanukah, b”H. Anyone who has been reading my material for at least a couple of years now knows that Chanukah is one of the most misunderstood and underappreciate holidays, and that it is a big deal to me.

IMAGINE WRESTLING WITH someone for hours and finally overcoming them. Then as you get up to leave, assuming you have triumphed, the other guy hits you on your leg while your back is turned, forcing you to limp away.

THE JOURNEY WAS going to be a long one, 36 years when all said and done. Some people go out east for a year or two trying to find themselves.