Parshas Shelach 5786
When a Mission Stops Being a Shlichus The primary narrative of our parsha is the story of the spies. Before we delve into it in depth, here is a quick synopsis of what transpired. Moshe sent twelve distinguished men, one…
Do You See That Scratch? Parshas Nasso 5768
Life isn’t easy, everyone is going to have to go through some tough stuff. But you can put pretty much put people in four baskets, based on when and how frequently they have to swim in the muck. Some people…
Taking a Leading Role on Shavuos
Why receiving the Torah was never meant to be passive Shavuos can be one of the most mysterious Yamim Tovim, holidays, in the Jewish calendar. On Pesach, the mitzvos of the day teach us how to enter the experience. We…
International Trade Done with a Kite Parshas Behar Bechukosai 5785
Trade between countries is a good thing. It enables people in Canada to have freshly squeezed orange juice at their breakfast table, and people in Brazil to have maple syrup at theirs. It has created tens of thousands of jobs…
All that Glitters Parshas Emor 5786
When you think of laundry, you probably think of piles of dirty clothing, sitting at the bottom of the laundry chute, waiting to be sorted into darks, lights, and whites. But to a very specific subset of human beings, laundering…
Show Me Your Best Awkward Silence Parshas Acharei Mos/Kedoshim 5786
Natural resources are a hot topic right now, as the earth continues to fill with more people but not more resources. In the era of technological leaps and blindingly fast innovation, humans also seek more resources than ever before. In…
What would you grab is your city was burning? Parshas Tazria Metzora 5786
In the spring of 1453, the great city of Constantinople stood at the edge of collapse. For more than a thousand years it had been one of the most important cities in the world, the capital of the Byzantine Empire,…
Parshas Tazria Metzora 5786
When Words Become Visible What Tzara’as teaches us about the reality of speech Parshiyos Tazria and Metzora are among the most puzzling sections in the Torah. The Torah spends so much time discussing discolorations on skin, changes in hair color,…
Geographical Slavery Parshas Tzav/ Shabbos Hagadol 5786
Pithom, Egypt 1314 BCE Shimon stomped into the house kicking up dust, and wordlessly headed straight to the back of the house to change out of his work clothes. Rachel instinctively knew that he was coming from his brother’s house.…
Wanna Get Elevated For Being Wrong? Parshas Vayikra 5786
If a man told you in 1968 that within a decade hundreds of millions of people would starve to death every single year, that by 1985 the earth’s population would be beaten down to a more “acceptable” 1.5 billion, and…