Last Friday, I had a visitor. There was a knock on the door about 11:30AM, and when I answered the door, I saw a tall, thin, older gentlemen of Israeli Chassidic persuasion, with a kindly face, and a slightly haggard…
In 1981, Project Kansas was hatched secretly in the boardroom of one of the most successful companies in the US. It was the desperate gambit of a company that was rapidly losing its footing, and it would set off a chain of…
Vayigash תשפ"ד After Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, they hurried home to tell their father Yaakov that Yosef was still alive and that he was the ruler of Egypt, second in command only to Pharaoh. Yaakov’s response was to…
Last night we had a Chanukah party at my house. I was busy preparing for an important lecture, so I was hoping to stay out of the kitchen entirely. But just when I thought I was free and clear, I…
Parashat Noach תשפ"ד When introducing us to Noach, the Torah carefully tells us (Genesis 6:9) that Noach was a צדיק - a completely righteous person. ט) אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו 9) These are the offspring…
The Three Weeks תשפג This coming Thursday, July 6, we will observe the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, and, in three weeks, on Thursday, July 27th, we will observe “Tisha b’Av” the fast of the 9th day of Av.…
The science in this essay is mostly based on the information found in the book “We have no idea: a guide to the unknown universe,” by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson. The book is high on my recommended reading list in…
I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something. – Mitch Hedberg Rice is actually much more than a good meal when you want 2,000 of something; in many countries around the world, rice equals…
Tazriah – Metzorah תשפג This coming Shabbat, two portions will be read in Shul. The main topic of these two portions is the “metzorah,” one who is stricken with the malady -צרעת “tzaraat” (or tzaraas). The usual translation of tzaraat is leprosy, a translation that…
This essay relies heavily on the information contained in an article from The Atlantic, written by Stephen Cave, and found in the June 2016 issue. David walked out of Professor Smilansky’s lecture hall, and felt like he had just won…