Jim Spinnock turned the corner, and headed down Slade toward his favorite Starbucks. Nothing put a little fire in his belly like a cup of piping hot Colombian magic. Like almost every day of every workweek, his friend Frank DeMott…
This Shabbat we read the Torah portion ofבשלח (Beshalach). Denoted שבת שירה (Shabbat Shira),the “Shabbat of the Song,” this portion contains the song that the Jewish people sang to Hashem in appreciation for the salvation that they experienced from the…
The Egyptians have suffered through seven of the ten plagues, and after three more they will send the Jewish people out of Egypt. The time has come to prepare the Jewish people for the holiday of Pesach. They will need…
We have been conditioned to believe that there is an inherent conflict between science and religion and that one has to choose between being a Man of Science or a Man of God. We see it in lawsuits launched by…
When Hashem charged Moshe with his mission to take the Jewish people out of Egypt, He told him (Exodus 4:17), (יז) וְאֶת הַמַּטֶּה הַזֶּה תִּקַּח בְּיָדֶךָ אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה בּוֹ אֶת הָאֹתֹת. 17) “And this staff you shall take in your…
Let’s talk about peaches for a moment. Soft orbs of juice and summer delight, peaches are everything that is right about fruit. Filled with so much juice that it’s almost impossible to keep your cheeks and chin clean while eating…
This coming Shabbat we begin the Torah’s second book, Shemot. After just a few verses, we learn of Levi’s death at age 137. This noteworthy “statistic” had extraordinary significance, for it marked the beginning of our slavery in Egypt. As…
The information presented below is based on an article by Jordan Weissman in The Atlantic magazine, which appeared on Dec 27, 2013. I had my first whole cup of coffee at the age of ten. Oh, how I savored that…
Parshat Pekudei תשפ"ד This week’s portion begins by telling us (Exodus 38:21) that Moshe gave a reckoning of all the gold, silver, and brass that was used in the Mishkan’s (Tabernacle) construction. (כא) אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת אֲשֶׁר…
Call me Nano-Man. I am the future. I laugh silently at the geek in front of me as he pulls a 5 pound laptop out of his carry-on, and places it its own basket in the security line at the…