Parshat Ki Tisa תשפא This week’s portion contains the sin of the golden calf. Because of its magnitude and the misunderstanding surrounding it, we need to look at the events through the eyes of our Sages to properly understand what happened.…
This report of Partner’s trip to Panama was originally written in the winter of 2014. Please see the postscript for some updates. If you’re Jewish, chances are high that you’ve heard of Boca Raton. It’s a beautiful city of tidy…
Parshat Tetzaveh תשפב Parshat Tezaveh is the second of the Torah’s four portions that deal with the construction of the portable tabernacle in the desert – the Mishkan. Parshat Terumah, which we read last week, contains the instructions for the Mishkan’s physical structure,…
One of the most dramatic thefts of the past thirty years was the decades-long attempt of Chinese manufacturers to steal the color white. You think white is easy, but white is actually extremely difficult to make, and is a multi-billion…
Teruma תשפב Moshe descended Mount Sinai with the second set of tablets, engraved with the Ten Commandments, on the first Yom Kippur after the Jews came out of Egypt. The next day, Moshe commanded the people to bring their donations for…
Mishpatim תשפב After the Torah reading on a Monday or Thursday morning, while the Torah is still out, the congregation offers this prayer on behalf of our Jewish brethren who are in trouble. אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְֹרָאֵל. הַנְּתוּנִים בַּצָרָה וּבַשִׁבְיָה. הָעוֹמְדִים…
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 The Jewish people left Egypt on a Thursday, the 15th of Nissan. Seven days later they miraculously passed through the Reed Sea. From there they embarked on a 45-day trek to Mount Sinai, where they would forge the next…