The Kind of Jelly I Fear<br>Parshas Noach 5785
When I think of jellyfish, I think of the bright colorful gummy candies I used to eat as a kid. But when I think of swimming in the ocean, I think of the living jellyfish. As a matter of fact,…
Parshas Noach 5785
In this week’s portion, Noach, we learn about the first two of the three famous “generations” spoken about by our Sages. They are (1) theדור המבול - the “Generation of the Flood,” and (2) the דור הפלגה, the - “Generation…
Let’s Talk About Harvard
Parshas Noach
It’s well known that getting accepted into the NYC Sanitation Department to work as a garbage collector is significantly more difficult than getting into Harvard University. About 90,000 people apply each year for the prestigious position of NYC Sanitation worker…
Parshat Noach 5784
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…
It’s not your fault…
Parshat Noach 5783
Anyone would tell you that Todd Sikorsky had a tough life, but usually he would be the first one in line. It is not easy being the father of three rambunctious boys, all three of whom were diagnosed with ADHD…
Parshat Noach 5783
Noach תשפ"ג The Prophet Yirmiyah [Jeremiah] (1 Kings 8:2) called the Hebrew month of Tishrei “ירח האתנים“ the Mighty Month. One of the reasons for this designation is the powerful, life-changing holidays that engage us for most of the month. Its first day, Rosh Hashana,…
Have you ever been incredibly alone?
Parshat Noach 5782
I vividly remember the first day of school after my family moved to Israel in the summer of 1990. It was a huge school, with at least five times as many kids as the small school I attended in Cleveland,…
Parashat Noach 5782
Parashat Noach תשפ"ב Although this coming Shabbat we will read the portion of Noach, we will here focus on Shabbat, a topic from last week’s portion, Bereshit. A Jewish wedding takes place under a chuppah חופה) , –canopy). The canopy signifies the roof of the…