This week’s Torah portion speaks of the mysterious lesions that appeared on the skin of those who trafficked in gossip. Their punishment was at once severe and precise: they were cast into isolation for up to three weeks, until their affliction healed.
The Torah enumerates many forms of ritual impurity. Some …
Disclaimer: It is commonly held that two subjects to be avoided in polite company are politics and religion…lest we offend.
This essay shamelessly addresses both.
Family Feuds
Brothers often bicker, we know that, but that doesn’t mean they should become enemies. When brothers turn against each other the entire fabric of society is …
Need A Break?
Have you ever felt worn out and ready for a break? You wake up in the morning and all you can think about is getting away and doing nothing. Sometimes you only need a day, sometimes a week, but sometimes you feel like you could use an entire …
Oil Tesheuvah and the New Year
We live in an age of internationally rising consumption, which is in turn driving the price of crude oil to unprecedented heights. Our fear of quickly diminishing yet finite oil reserves is only compounded by the threat of instability in the Middle East.
In short, high …
Tetzaveh: The Gift of a Birthday
Moses’ birthday was on the seventh of Adar. The Shabbat before Purim is almost always in the week of Moses’ birthday so let’s use this opportunity to discuss what it means to be born. Many think of birth as the beginning of our story, but …
These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …
