Articles in Concepts
Shmini: Bribe Yourself
The Bribe
This scene has probably played out in every family home. You are going to a wedding and don’t want to be late. But your children couldn’t care less and take their merry time getting ready. At your wits end, you do what any desperate parent does; you offer a …
Pekudei: Having A Bad Day?
Looking Up
If your life is anything like mine, then you have good days and bad. Days when you feel like G-d is on your side and days when nothing seems to go right. When you are in the midst of a full blown bad day, you just want to go …
Terumah: The Crown
For G-d
Three of the Temple’s sacred vessels had crowns around their perimeter. There was a crown around the incense altar, a crown around the show-table and a crown around the holy ark. Our sages taught, the crown around the altar was taken by Aaron, whose children were destined for the …
Yitro: An Unpleasant Truth
Unpleasant
What is the difference between Torah truth and scientific truth? By science I mean every branch of human knowledge that isn’t Torah. One is pleasant the other is unpleasant.
The answer is best presented with a joke I’m sure you’ve heard. It’s about the Jew who was caught reading a Nazi …
Vaera: The Bane of Arrogance
Arrogance
Judaism has unique ideas, ones you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else. For example, Judaism teaches that the king (for that matter the president, prime minister or any other kind of leader) be the humblest in all of society. While arrogance is a sin for all people, it is …
Vayechi: What Are Your Life Goals?
Life Goals
We all have life goals. For some, it’s the building of family. To others it’s learning and discovery. To some, it’s building wealth. To others, it’s helping others. What are your soul’s life goals?
The soul made a long journey from heaven to earth. We don’t suppose it made its …
Vayeshev: Identity Crisis
The Schism
Are you different things to different people? Do your workplace and home environment support conflicting values? Is your social culture different from your religious culture? Does your family live by one ethos and your neighbors by another?
How do you deal with the dichotomy? Do you blend in wherever you …
Vayigash: A Special Moment
The Reunion
Do you know the feeling of meeting up with your spouse after being apart for several days or even weeks? How about seeing your child come home from school for the first time in months or seeing family members that live halfway across the world? It is a giddy …
