Articles by Lazer Gurkow
Your List of Flaws
You have a list of flaws. Sorry for outing you, but it’s not a big secret. We all have strengths and flaws.
I challenge you to sit down and list all your strengths and flaws. Let’s be honest; you have both. Now, set the list of strengths aside. I don’t need …
Heroic Struggles of Ordinary People
Heroic struggles are for ordinary people. Extraordinary people have no struggles. They are brilliant and gifted. Their hearts aflame with love; they are humble, kind, generous, and pious. They melt with ecstasy at the mention of G-d, and they tremble with fear at the specter of sin. They follow all …
In The Moment
Do you tend to live in the moment or in your head? When we go on vacation, we always see people experiencing beautiful vistas through the camera’s lens. They want to record the moment for posterity. But they are inside their head, not in the moment. To be in the …
The Kohen
The kohen (priest) plays many central roles in this week’s Torah portion. Primary among them is the priestly blessing. G-d endowed the kohen with the power to confer blessing. It is a potent power. Imagine holding the keys to another’s fortune and happiness. If you choose, you can endow them …
Are You A Kosher Letter?
Every Jew is a letter in the Torah; the question is, are you a kosher letter?
The Torah tells us that 603,550 Jews came out of Egypt.[1] Kabbalah proclaimed that there are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah.[2] A prominent kabbalist further suggested that the Hebrew word Yisrael is an …
Follow The Money
One of the most popular antisemitic tropes is that Jews are all about money. But is there perhaps some truth to this? After all, when the Jewish census was taken, Moses didn’t count people. Instead, he counted money. He told each Jew to donate a half silver coin, and he …
Charity Without Poverty
Can there be charity without poverty?
The world is on a warpath to eradicate poverty. Many billionaires, and wealthy developed countries, are investing heavily in poorer countries and hope to eradicate poverty by 2030. If that happens, the question is, what will happen to charity? Will it become a thing of …
Unrest in Israel
The current unrest in Israel is not about the state of its democracy or the role of its judiciary. As many analysts have correctly surmised, the tensions are over the direction and soul of the country. The modern state of Israel was founded by secular Zionism, which established a secular …
