The One Thing I Ask

About the Book

Written over the course of a year punctuated by escalating terrorism and global turmoil, this compilation of fifty-one Divrei Torah asks the reader to confront challenging questions. —What do I truly believe? —How should I best fashion my conduct? —Why does our world seem so random and unfair? —What does Torah Judaism ask of me? —How can I find meaning in my life? “The one thing I ask,” King David says in the book of Tehillim, “is to be close to God.” This single thought, central to the very existence of a Torah Jew, permeates every chapter of Tehillim. With these Divrei Torah, one for each week of the Jewish calendar, the author unpacks the wisdom of Tehillim, seamlessly integrating this wisdom with the weekly Torah portion. This is the author’s second book of Divrei Torah. In his first book—Back to the Beginning—he probed the lessons that can be derived from the Holy Torah. In this second book, the author digs even deeper, tackling head-on the most frustrating and troubling elements of the world as we experience it, frankly articulating the questions we ask ourselves as we navigate a world that often seems random and distressingly unfair, using the light of our Holy Torah to guide us and illuminate the dark “places” in which we sometimes find ourselves.

About the Author

A resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, for over three decades, Mark Hoenig is a longtime member of Teaneck’s Congregation Bnai Yeshurun. After graduating from Yeshiva College, he attended NYU Law School, where he received his JD degree and later his LLM (master’s degree in law) in taxation. Since graduating from law school in 1981, he has worked as an attorney almost exclusively at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he is a partner in the Tax Department, specializing in corporate mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Hoenig has been an active contributor to the Jewish community, serving over many years on the boards of his synagogue and local Jewish educational institutions. He also has been active in the broader Jewish community, most recently as a member of the Jewish Education Project. These community activities are complemented by the significant work he has done and overseen on behalf of charities worldwide, notably as a by-product of his longtime membership in the pro bono committee at his law firm and as cochair of its not-for-profit practice group. Of greatest significance and meaning to Mr. Hoenig, though, is his family. The identities, personalities, and uniquely special characters of the members of his family—the important people in his life—can be seen and felt throughout the pages of this book.