Every day, my Reddit feed seems to bring another accusation about Israel, another person I admire repeating it, another reason to feel a little less welcome. So far, most of it has happened through…

A Psychological Reading of Re'eh

Can you still live your purpose when you didn't make the cut?

The Gemara in Sanhedrin suggests that Aharon’s greatest strength, his pursuit of peace, actually led to his greatest mistake during the Golden Calf incident.

Yitzchak’s name means laughter, but whose laughter shaped him more? Sometimes the deepest lessons we pass down aren’t our words, they’re our reactions.

Does Hashem really care about you? The Piacezna Rebbe says yes — and the proof is hidden in a single Hebrew word: “Ata” (You). Every time you pray, that word makes God present in a way that only yo…

Oedipus, Terminator, Harry Potter — all show how trying to outsmart the future backfires. Shoftim says the same: “Be tamim with Hashem.” The real freedom isn’t knowing tomorrow — it’s trusting toda…

Gratitude is easy. Action is hard. That’s why the Torah insists that seeing blessing means being a blessing.

Aharon the priest ascended Mount Hor at God’s bidding and died there, on the first day of the fifth month in the 40th year of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. (Bamidbar 33:38) Parshas Masei recal…

The Simpsons has predicted the future multiple times. They predicted a Trump presidency in the year 2000. They predicted the annoying autocorrect feature we’d all struggle with back in 1994. …

This article was originally posted 4/26/2018 – A new ending has been added. This week’s parsha details a bizarre ritual the Jews were to perform on Yom Kippur. Basically they took two identic…

Unclean. Contaminated. Filth. Shameful. Corrupt. Defiled. Profane. Desecrated. These are what we think of when we hear the word impure. So when the Torah labels a woman as “impure” duri…

Parsha Shimini is known for the deaths of Aharon’s oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. With the inauguration of the Mishkan (the portable Temple also known as the Tabernacle) Aharon and his four so…

It’s an odd thing that the holiday of Purim is celebrated around the time we read Parshas Ki Sisa, the Torah portion that features the sin of the golden calf. Quite a juxtaposition celebrating the …

Parsha Terumah is the first of many Torah portions dealing with the building of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary and prototype of what will eventually become the Beit Hamikdash (aka The Temple.)…

The word Mishpatim usually refers to civil laws, meaning the laws that govern society that make sense. Judges shouldn’t take bribes, if you damage someone’s property you should compensate them, etc…

There are only a handful of Torah portions named after individuals. Noach, Yisro, Korach, Balak, Pinchas, and if you want to get technical, Chaya Sarah. Putting Chaya Sarah aside (since she’s not a…

The person who runs away from a prophecy ends up running right into it.  It’s probably the most cliché plot device in all of storytelling. Oedipus Rex. Return of the King. The majority of time trav…

In parshas Bo, God gives the Jewish people their first official Mitzvah, God said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, [showing them the new moon:] “This renewal will signal the beginning of every new mont…

Parsha Vaeira begins, “God [Elohim] spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am Hashem [YKVK]. I revealed [Vaeira] Myself to Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov as the Almighty [El Shaddai], but My Name Hashem…

The narrative of the Exodus is quite possibly the most well known Bible story after Adam and Eve in the Garden and Noah’s Ark. Whether you’re a fan of the Charlton Heston version or you…

Yaakov called for his sons and said, “Gather around and I will tell you what will happen to you in the end of days. Come together and listen, sons of Yaakov; listen to Yisrael, your father.” (Berei…

Vayigash begins with the sons of Yaakov about to go to war against the highest ranking official in all of Egypt, having no idea this official is their long lost brother, Yosef. Yehudah steps up to …

The Divine Within

As we celebrate Chanukah, everyone knows that lighting the Menorah is the main part of the celebration. But why such a focus on the lights? Our ancestors, the Maccabees fought a grueling and seemin…

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