Articles in Concepts
Shlach: What I Learned From A Tree
The Holy Tree
Oh, the tales trees could tell if only trees could tell tales.There is a large tree in my backyard under whose branches many little dramas have played out. Many a toddler has crawled under its branches, many a back has leaned against its trunk, over the years the …
Shavuot: The Power of Self Liberation
Long Term Goals
Why is it so difficult to choose long tern gain over immediate satisfaction? Most of us make that choice, but not until we are forced to. We don’t refuse the extra snack unless we are already overweight. We don’t hold down our cholesterol unless the doctor orders us …
Behar: When Bin Laden Was Gone
Good Things Are Worth Waiting For
One of CNN’s first articles the morning after Osama Bin Laden’s assassination featured reaction from people on the streets of America. One reaction that drew my attention was, “I never thought this day would come; I had given up hope.”
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Emor: The Role of the King
The Nature of Monarchy
The world was enthralled with the royal wedding between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It was more than the star power of celebrity
that drew our attention; to the British Commonwealth this was personal – England received its future queen and it’s prince took a wife This …
Kedoshim: Is Asceticism Jewish?
The Contradiction
The great mystic Rabbi Yehudah Lowe, otherwise known as the Maharal, once explained that Matzah, the impoverished bread, comprised of merely flour and water, is a symbol of freedom because those who are truly free are unencumbered. Ordinary bread is slaved to sugar and yeast for flavor and texture. …
Passover: The Freedom To Commit
The Burden of Freedom
What does freedom mean to you? Thousands of people dream every day of wealth, fame and freedom from life’s drudgery. They are tired of poverty and penny counting, tired of overworking and constantly answering to employers. They want wealth and power; they want to be free.Those who …
Metzora: The Fukushima Disaster
A Powerful Energy Center
The Fukushima disaster, devastated a nuclear reactor in Japan and underscored a truth we have known for some sixty-five years, namely, the incredible power of the infinitesimal. The atom, too small to be visible to the naked eye, was once dismissed as insignificant, but no longer. Today …
Shmini: End of Life Care
This You Call a Dilemma?
Just the other night I found myself in discussion with a student who argued that weighing an argument from the perspective of Torah without giving equal credence to chemistry, science and nature is short sighted. I agreed with him, but insisted that considering science and chemistry …
