Natural resources are a hot topic right now, as the earth continues to fill with more people but not more resources. In the era of technological leaps and blindingly fast innovation, humans also seek more resources than ever before. In…
Negative Surroundings ‘Do not perform the practices of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled; and do not perform the practices of the land of Canaan to which I bring you...’ (Vayikra 18:3) Before detailing the list of forbidden…
This week, because of the way that the calendar works, we read a double portion, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim (last year, for example, they came out on separate weeks). The third verse in Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:3) tells us: (ג) אִישׁ…
What do you do when you know the world is about to end? Where do you go if you’re sure the world is going to experience an apocalyptic culmination in the very near future? If you’re any where near the…
The Talmud (Brachot 6a) reveals a stunning idea: אמר רבי אבין בר רב אדא אמר רבי יצחק: מנין שהקדוש ברוך הוא מניח תפילין? שנאמר נשבע ה' בימינו ובזרוע עוזו בימינו זו תורה שנאמר מימינו אש דת למו ובזרוע עזו אלו…
Dairy cows are prodigious producers. You pump about one hundred pounds of feed into a dairy cow over the course of a day; usually a mixture of hay, grain, soybean meal or some other protein, and silage, which is fermented…
Some would almost call it a lobbyist hobby, arguing over the best restaurants in DC. When you take people out for breakfast lunch and dinner, food becomes a pretty obsessive topic of conversation. Young lobbyists can spend hours discussing who…
Acharei Mot - Kedoshim תשפ"ג The famous, oft-quoted, verse, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” is found in this week’s portion (Leviticus 19:18). יח) לֹא תִקֹּם וְלֹא תִטֹּר אֶת בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ אֲנִי יְדֹוָד 18) You shall not…
Fertilizer. It’s the stinkiest, dirtiest pile of blessing you can get your hands on. Laying fresh fertilizer on your field may not leave you looking like Mr. Clean, but it will make your crops look like they were taking whatever…