And The Pursuit of Happiness
Papa Joe was dead and the people of Plattsville were mad. Papa Joe was the grandfather of the whole town. He was the man who magically produced lollipops from his sleeves every time a kid walked into his hardware store.…
Parshas Mishpatim 5784
Mishpatim תשפ"ד The war in Gaza unfortunately drags on, and our brothers and sisters in Israel continue to be in great danger. Missiles repeatedly fall on populated areas, our precious young soldiers are constantly in the crosshairs of Arab…
You are a Miracle
Parshas Yisro 5784
Ladies and Gentleman We’re going to do something a little bit different this week. I hope to write a children’s book soon, and I’m going to give you not just a sneak preview, but rather a very rough draft of…
Parshat Yitro 5784
Yitro תשפ"ד The Torah portions over the last few weeks have dealt with the miraculous exodus that the Jewish nation experienced after their 210 years of slavery in Egypt. We celebrate this extraordinary event on Passover, a holiday that…
Name Brands Make it Better
Parshas Beshalach 5784
Do you know any one who fancies themselves a connoisseur? Do they feel they are an aficionado, cognizant of the essential differences between designer garb and inferior everyday clothing? Or perhaps they consider themselves true gourmands, people who know how…
Parshas Beshalach 5784
Parshat Beshalach תשפ"ד The Jewish people left Egypt on the 15th of Nissan and travelled for seven days until they reached the Yam Suf (the Red Sea, or, more accurately, the Reed Sea). At that point, there was nowhere to…
It’s all in Your Mind
Parshas Bo 5784
It is freezing outside, quite literally. It has been freezing outside, quite literally, since a week ago. The coldest we’ve seen in the last week has been 5 degrees Farenheit, and the balmiest has been just below the freezing point.…
Parshas Bo 5784
Parshat Bo תשפד The Jews are finally out of Egypt. By killing every first born, Hashem delivered the knockout punch to Pharaoh who could not get rid of them fast enough. This chapter in Jewish history, the slavery and…
Parshas Vaera 5784
Vaera תשפ"ד In the second verse of this week’s portion וארא – Vaera (Exodus 6:3), Hashem tells Moshe: (ג) וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּקֵל שַׁקָי וּשְׁמִי יְדֹוָד לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם 3) And I appeared to Avraham,…
Do You Like it Huge or Tiny?
Parshas Shemos
When we talk about the Big Three here in Detroit, we are generally referring to Ford, General Motors, and what used to be known as Chrysler, but now is called Stellantis. But when philosophers talk about The Big Three, they…