Parshat Toldot 5786

Parshat Toldot תשפ”ו Yitzchak and Rivka had been married for 20 years and had not been blessed with a child. Our Sages tell us that they were physically unable to do so. Yitzchak, who had established a completely different pathway to serving Hashem than his father Avraham, was intent on forging the next link in

To Recycle Or Not To Recycle – That is the Question

If you ever get a ride in my car, you might notice a collection of empty water bottles sitting quietly in the front passenger footwell. They have no more purpose to me, and I would throw them out in gas station garbage bins while filling up gas the same way I periodically purge other vehicular

Chayei Sarah 5786

Yitzchak was 40 years old, and it was time for him to get married and continue the legacy that Avraham began. Avraham lived in Canaan, inhabited by the descendants of Noach’s grandson Canaan. Because Noach cursed Canaan, all of the Canaanite women were cursed and hence were unsuitable to marry Yitzchak, the source of blessing.

An Ode To Diversity Parshas Vayera 5786

This week was Bli Ayin Hara, my oldest son’s birthday. When looking back at Shabbos emails from years gone by, I found this one, and while it’s a bit dated, I thought it was really nice, so we’re doing a reprint this week! Enjoy! PS This was originally published before AI was invented, so it

Parshas Vayera

The Torah tells us (Genesis 18:20) that the people of Sedom and Gomorrah were very evil. (כ) וַיֹּאמֶר יְדֹוָד זַעֲקַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה כִּי רָבָּה וְחַטָּאתָם כִּי כָבְדָה מְאֹד (כא) אֵרְדָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי עָשׂוּ כָּלָה וְאִם לֹא אֵדָעָה 20) So Hashem said, “Because the outcry of Sedom and Gomorrah has become great,

Can you count? Do you count? Parshas Lech Lecha 5786

Let’s start with a number: 38,055,354,510,682, also known as, thirty eight trillion, fifty five billion, and change. I’m sure many of you recognize this number as the total US National Debt. But I’m sure none of you know what that number really means; I certainly don’t. So here are a few ways to think about