Pinchas: Jewish Popup Screens

Pop Ups
Have you ever wondered why pop-up screens always offer gambling or lust opportunities and never Torah or Mitzvah opportunities? When was the last time you visited your favorite news site and got a Jewish pop-up screen offering you a chance to give charity? Did you ever check the weather …

Chukat: What I Learned From A Wellspring

Springing the Well
Wellsprings are G-d’s gift to the world. Arid climates become fertile when wells are discovered. Parched and thirsty souls find life, salvation and hope with the discovery of a well. A well discovery is cause for celebration and certainly a reason to praise G-d. It comes as no …

Tetzaveh: Discipline Your Child With Love

What’s In A Belt?
Every morning Jews thank G-d for “girding Israel with strength.” (1) According to the Talmud this blessing is offered when we strap on our belts. (2) The belt is associated with strength, For example, King David, the poet warrior, described G-d as “girded with strength.” (3) As …

Vaysihlach: Rewrite Your Script

Where Do You Fish?
Are you plagued by internal scripts that are injurious to your well-being? Many of us suffer from scripts that hurt us, but from which we powerless to depart. It can be a parent or sibling whom we really love or a colleague or employer whose company we …

Matot: The Joys of Ice-Cream

Can You Have Your Cake And Eat It Too?
When we see a religious leader living the good life, fancy cars, extravagant expense accounts and private jets, we are naturally skeptical about their piety. When we think of the devout we conjure up images of the impoverished and downtrodden whose faith, …

Chukat: Love Your Children

What Actually Happened?
Something happened on that fateful day that resulted in the severe decree barring Moses and Aaron from entering the promised land. Here is the story in short: The people were parched from their long journey and demanded that Moses provide water. G-d instructed Moses to produce water from …

Toldot: On Being a Mentch

Fill Me Up – I’m Famished
Would you find it distasteful if I barged into your home while you were cooking stew,  peeked into your pot and demanded, as Esau did of Jacob, “Pour some of that red stuff down my throat; I’m exhausted!” (1)

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Vaeira: Seeking The Truth

Snakes and Sticks
Sticks are straight and unbending. They neither deceive nor mislead; they are what they appear to be. Snakes are serpentine; twisted and curved they slither silently and slyly conceal their approach. Dishonest people are colloquially described as snakelike whereas honest people are described as straight; as the expression …