Articles in Life Is Beautiful
B’haalotcha: Live every Moment
An Invitation
Just before the Jews departed Sinai, Moses invited his father in Law to join them. Jethro wasn’t a Jew from birth; he was a priest, who had converted first to monotheism and later Judaism. Moses was somewhat hesitant about his invitation as apparent from the following text.
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Vayera: When Weakness Becomes Obsession
Abraham and the Philistines
When Abraham and Sarah visited the Philistines they neglected to mention that they were married. Abimelech, the Philistine king, soon requisition Sarah for his harem, but G-d appeared in Abimelech’s dream to warn him that Sarah was a married woman.
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Masei: The Journey of Life
It’s What We Bring Home That Counts
Life is a journey with stations along the way, some more comfortable than others. It is when we settle in to the comfort of those stations that we often forget we are in mid journey.
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Matot: The Joys of Ice-Cream
Can You Have Your Cake And Eat It Too?
When we see a religious leader living the good life, fancy cars, extravagant expense accounts and private jets, we are naturally skeptical about their piety. When we think of the devout we conjure up images of the impoverished and downtrodden whose faith, …
Vaera: The Daily Escape
Question
Over the course of history, Jews have experienced many miraculous redemptions, but the only miracle we deliberately recall every day is the exodus from Egypt. Why is this one different?
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Toldot: On Being a Mentch
Fill Me Up – I’m Famished
Would you find it distasteful if I barged into your home while you were cooking stew, peeked into your pot and demanded, as Esau did of Jacob, “Pour some of that red stuff down my throat; I’m exhausted!” (1)
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Vayera: The Importance of Objectivity
What Really Happened?
Back in the early part of this decade when the war of terror was in full swing I would frequently ask visitors from Israel if the situation was as bad as the media made it sound. They were never surprised by my questions; they knew that as a …
Elul: A Rose Among Thorns
A Curious Verse
Describing our relationship with G-d, King Solomon, wisest of all men, wrote, “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me; who grazes among the roses,” (1) a curious statement if ever there was one. The first half of the verse is perfect and symmetrical. I …
