Parshat Noach 5779
Parshat Noach תשע"ט When introducing us to Noach, Hashem is careful to tell us that Noach is a צדיק - a completely righteous person. This portion begins (Genesis 6:9) ספר בראשית פרק ו ט) אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק…
What Kind of Fruit Was It?
Parshat Bereishit 5779
We all know what it’s like to have your car impounded. You park at what you think is a legal spot and come back to find it missing. You search high and low, and then find a No Parking sign…
Wanna Splurge?
Parshat Ha’Azinu/Sukkot 5779
When there is money in the streets, people get spend-crazy. Right now, there is money in the streets. With the stock market soaring to all time highs, the Dow Jones up over 50% in the last three years, and companies…
Sukkot 5779
Sukkot The Tur (written by R. Jacob ben Asher 1269-1343) notes in the name of his brother that the three festivals, Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, correspond to our three forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov: Passover corresponds to Avraham because the…
Let’s Get Medieval on Yom Kippur!
Parshat Vayelech/ Yom Kippur 5779
Just five miles east of the I-75 is the medieval era. Get off the highway, pass through a generic town or two, drive through some cornfields, and make a left turn into the 1500’s. It’s not always there, only at…
Yom Kippur 5779
Yom Kippur During the course of the year when we twice daily say the Shema, the second verse, ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד (Baruch shem ..) Blessed forever is Hashem’s Honorable Name, is said silently. On Yom Kippur, however,…
What if You Knew How to Save Thousands of Lives
Parshat Nitzavim/Rosh Hashanah 5778
Much of the information in this article was gleaned from an article by PBS Health on May 15, 2015 Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis may go down in history as the most frustrated and frustrating doctor in history, but he certainly will…
The Ten Days of Teshuva
The Ten Days of Teshuva The ten days beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are called עשרת ימי תשובה The Ten Days of Teshuva (Repentance). These special days are a gift from Hashem to help us secure…
Just Keep Walking
Parshat Ki Tavo 5778
We do like our gyms, us Americans. With about 36,450 gyms spread out across the fifty states, there are more gyms in the USA than McDonalds, Wendy’s and Burger Kings combined! Bringing in over $27 billion a year, the gym,…
Rosh Hashanah Part II
Rosh Hashanah Part II The Men of the Great Assembly, אנשי כנסת הגדולה , composed the prayers in the סדור, Siddur, the Jewish prayer book . This esteemed assemblage comprised 120 holy rabbis, many of whom were also prophets. As…