Articles in Miscellaneous
Bo: Hebrew Months
First Month
The Jewish calendar is confusing. The Hebrew months have names, but they are Persian in origin. Why do Hebrew months have Persian names? Another question: These names are not employed by the Five Books of Moses or the Books of the Prophets, when were they adopted into our culture?
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Vayeshev: You Are A Gem
Two Names
G-d appeared to Jacob and said, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.”[1] Nevertheless, the Torah continues to make repeated use of both names, Jacob and Israel, in every following chapter until Jacob’s death. This is because the …
Matos Masei: Resisting Peer Pressure
The Dilemma
Resisting peer pressure is a common challenge. It is a mistake to think that this is only a problem for young people; it pervades every segment of society. You might attend a party and experience pressure to drink. You might attend a social evening and encounter pressure to gossip. …
Pinchas: Moses is You
The Past
There is a large cemetery in the annals of academia in which the past lies buried. This cemetery takes the form of history books monuments and museums. We visit our past, research and teach it, but we don’t live it. The past is simply, in the past. Judaism is …
Vayikra: The Power to Please
The Sin Offering
The sacrificial offerings in the Temple secured atonement for the inadvertent sins of their bearers. This prompts a question: To bring such offerings is a Divine commandment, how does fulfilling one commandment atone for transgressing another? If your student failed to do his homework but was respectful during …
Vayechi: The Crybaby Generation
The Natives
In our quest to put an end to bullying we introduced laws that ban abuse and enforce punishment for bullying behavior. But as is often the case, when we nip and tuck in one area, we cause unintended consequences in another. In this case I feel that we are …
Miketz: Emotional Starvation
The Dream of Panic
Pharaoh dreamed that seven thin, unhealthy cows swallowed seven robust cows, but even after consuming the larger cows whole, the thin cows showed no signs of weight gain. Joseph interpreted the dream as a vision for the future. There would be seven years of plenty, followed by …
Toldot: Stop the Bullying
Tolerating is Enabling
Do you know anyone who does nothing, but expects the world of everyone else? You know, the manipulative kind who never did a stitch of housework but raises a stink if the house is untidy or who won’t be caught dead in the kitchen, but beware if his …
