Articles in Life Is Beautiful
Ekev: Why We Eat
We eat because we must live, but according to the Torah, eating is even more important than life.
One of the most profound messages in the Torah is captured in this verse. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on the word of G-d.” There are many layers of meaning …
Balak: Shabbat and the Week
Shabbat is a twenty-five-hour break from the world. It is a wonderful time to unplug and relax. We enjoy quality time with children, family, and friends. We luxuriate in endeavors of the soul such as song, contemplation, study, prayer, and discussion. Unplugging from our phone’s constant pinging, our constant attraction …
Korach: The Selfie
Selfie pictures are all the rage these days. There are all kinds of tricks to get just the right angle. You can get an arm extender to help you to get the best shot. I saw reports that one of the hottest sale items last year was a pocket-size selfie …
Shelach: A Talit Meditation
The Talit is a shawl that we wrap around ourselves during prayer. It has four corners, from each of which, hangs eight fringes. Everyday, before we wrap ourselves in the Talit, we separate each fringe from the others and tighten the knots that bind them to the Talit.
As we run …
K’doshim: The Manual
The manual for G-d’s creation is the Torah. Just like a manual outlines all the safe and unsafe practices for an appliance, so does the Torah lay out all the proper practices for life. Just as a manual explains the use of every feature of the appliance, so does the …
Tazria: Holier Than Thou
Tazria: Holier Than Thou
Holier than thou is an expression that connotes false piety. It describes those who pass themselves off as holy when they aren’t. For example, those who give generous donations when others are looking, but nothing at all when no one takes notice. Or those who make sure …
Purim: Jewish Identity
Can we deny our Jewish identity? This question was a subject of debate among Jews since the advent of the Jewish enlightenment. Reeling under the burden of antisemitism, many Jews concluded that if they were to conform in dress and behavior to the wider population, they would blend in and …
Tetzaveh: The Afterlife
Absent
This week we marked the Yahrtzeit of Moses, who passed away on the 7th of Adar, 3488 or 1273 BCE. This was just 33 days before Joshua led the Jews into Israel. We know this because the Jews crossed into Israel on the 13th of Nissan. We also know that …
