An Ode To Diversity Parshas Vayera 5786
This week was Bli Ayin Hara, my oldest son’s birthday. When looking back at Shabbos emails from years gone by, I found this one, and while it’s a bit dated, I thought it was really nice, so we’re doing a…
Parshas Vayera
The Torah tells us (Genesis 18:20) that the people of Sedom and Gomorrah were very evil. (כ) וַיֹּאמֶר יְדֹוָד זַעֲקַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה כִּי רָבָּה וְחַטָּאתָם כִּי כָבְדָה מְאֹד (כא) אֵרְדָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי עָשׂוּ כָּלָה וְאִם לֹא אֵדָעָה…
Can you count? Do you count? Parshas Lech Lecha 5786
Let’s start with a number: 38,055,354,510,682, also known as, thirty eight trillion, fifty five billion, and change. I’m sure many of you recognize this number as the total US National Debt. But I’m sure none of you know what that…
Parshat Lech Lecha
Lech Lecha תשפ"ו This week's portion introduces us to Avraham Avinu, Avraham our forefather, whose dedication to Hashem was so great that he made it his life’s mission to teach the world about Him. Hashem, in turn, loved Avraham…
Parshas Noach 5786
Although this coming Shabbat we will read parshat Noach, we will focus here on an earth-changing event that occurred in last week’s parsha, Bereshit, viz, the cold-blooded murder of Hevel by his brother Kayin. The Midrash Rabba (Esther 10) records…
I have a great partner for you! Parshas Bereishit 5786
The historical information in this essay is mostly culled from Bill Bryson’s book on human anatomy and physiology, The Body. For most of human history, scratching your arm on a rusty nail could be a death sentence. The scratch wasn’t the…
Time to get Happy!! Parshas Ha’azuni/Succos
For most people, the rule of thumb is to stick to what you’re good at. But there are those rare individuals who can’t seem to stick to anything and are good at everything. Joseph Paxton was one of those people,…
Yom Kippur 5786
Tomorrow night is Yom Kippur, and Jews the world over will be standing in Shul begging Hashem to forgive their sins. If one has tentatively received a negative judgment on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, if properly observed, can repeal it.…
Can I be My Own Lawyer? Parshas Vayelech/Yom Kippur
It was hot, I was trapped, and it was getting hotter. I fidgeted uncomfortably in my seatfor a few minutes, and then I unbuckled myself and starting moving around my littleprison. Inevitably, as a normal seven-year-old, I soon found myself…
The Rosh Hashanah Tourist<br>Parshas Nitzavim/Rosh Hashana
Moskva, Moskva, Moskva… The 900-year-old city sitting astride the Moskva River, with its torturous and at times glorious history, is now the most populated city in Europe. The capital of the largest country in the world, it is the cultural,…
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