Someone once summarized all Jewish holidays: they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat, and this seems to be the case in the Purim story. A plan (between King Achashverosh and his advisor Haman) was made to annihilate the Jews, the plan was thwarted, Jews defeated their enemies, and since then we have made […]
Lessons from Dunkin Donuts And they brought the Mishkan (Tabernacle) to Moses… When all the parts of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had been made, they were brought to Moses, who actually stood the walls up and erected the Mishkan. Rashi quoting the Midrash explains that due to the massive weight of the materials, none of the people were able to raise it up, so […]
Choosing a Day of FreedomThere is an interesting idea discussed in the laws of how to write a Torah scroll. The one who writes it must have in mind specifically that he is writing it for the purpose of a Torah scroll. If he was just practicing his script writing or felt like writing biblical […]
The Power of Experience After being liberated from Egypt and participating the Sinai experience, the Jews build a Golden Calf. Now it came to pass when he (Moses) drew closer to the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, that Moses became angry, and he threw down the tablets… (Ex. 32:19) Moses had spent 40 days and […]
Diamond in the RoughYou shall place both stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, remembrance stones for the Children of Israel. (Exodus 28:12)Moses was commanded to make garments for the Cohen Gadol— ‘high priest.’ Included in these was a piece of clothing similar to an apron called the ephod. It had two shoulder straps and held precious […]
Putting in Your Personal Touch Have you ever put together something from Ikea? Their instructions are a series of pictures without any accompanying explanatory text. It would have been helpful if we had been given even minimal textual prompts, but the decision was made that this is how they are going to instruct their customers, and […]
What’s Your Bribe Linguists are at a loss to find an origin for the word bribe. It was first used in 14th century old French, but it means “steal.” By the mid-15th century its meaning had shifted to “gift given to influence corruptly.” No one knows where “bribe” came from or how it ultimately came to have […]
Unsung Heroes and Your Unique ContributionSince the breakout of the war, we have heard so many stories of heroism. Some involve a hero with a name and a picture. Some involve an anonymous hero who makes a donation or performs an act of chesed (kindness) and then disappears. And then there are stories that we never even […]
(Exodus 13:17-17:16) Here’s an obvious grammatical mistake: ‘and the Egyptians was chasing them’. Rashi comes to the rescue and explains that the ‘mistake’ was intentional because it brings home the point that they pursued the Jews after they left Egypt ‘with one desire like one man.’ They were unified in their desire to capture the […]
Killing Your Options Syrian Jews have a custom to sing a Hebrew poem at a brit milah (circumcision).People worry about their wealth being, but not about their days fleeing (Odam doeg al ibud domov v’einu doeg al ibud yomov)Money will not help their yearning; the days that pass will not be returning. (Damov einum ozrim, yomav einum chozrim).Life is about making […]
The Solution to Your Problem isn’t Complicated–It’s DifficultThe sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage was a great nautical catastrophe but the real tragedy is that it could have been avoided. One of the most foolish mistakes was that the ship’s radio operators received 21 warnings of ice, all of which were ignored. The Titanic serves a metaphor […]
To Thine Self Be True (Derech Eretz kadmah l’Torah) Imagine a U.S. army General telling a soldier on kitchen duty he would like to speak with him after dinner about an important covert mission. Would this soldier need permission from his Sergeant? Whether it is the head football coach changing a play or a CEO overruling a […]
Discovering Your Inner Youth It is the end of an era. Jacob has finally been reunited with his beloved Joseph and he lives the final seventeen years of his life in peace, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Joseph had two sons in Egypt and now Jacob, soon to die, talks to Joseph about them. Now, […]
How to Motivate Yourself to do Good ThingsAnd Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; is my father still alive? And his brothers could not answer him because they were terrified at his presence. (45:3)Instead of simply stating, “I am Joseph,” he added “Is my father still alive?” Anyone following the story knows that he […]
Learning to Recognize the Right People [While Joseph is still in prison, Pharaoh dreams of cows and sheaves and demands that someone interprets his dreams. The wine steward remembered Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, mentioned it to Pharaoh, and Joseph was freed and brought before Pharaoh, who acknowledges the truth of Joseph’s interpretation (about the impending […]
How Do You Wrap Your Chanukah Gifts?Here’s a rarely discussed Chanukah topic: How should one give a Chanukah present? Sometimes it’s sufficient to simply ship it with an attached note but usually we have to wrap it and hand deliver it. A group of researchers (https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-gift-wrapping-explains-why-sloppy-is-better-128506) set out to find out what impact wrapping has on a recipient’s appreciation […]
Kindness Explained This week’s Parsha begins with the sad tiding of Sara’s death. Abraham goes through a complicated negotiation in order to purchase a burial spot for her as well as delivering a eulogy. The Midrash applies a verse to these kind deeds: He who pursues charity and kindness will find life, charity, and honor. (Proverbs 21:21). […]
Don’t Write a Check, Make the TrekQuestion: Who is the oldest person in the Bible to have been circumcised and how old was he? Answer: Abraham was 99 years old when he circumcised himself. Even though he was in a lot of pain, he was distressed that no visitors were coming his way. Finally, […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayeira (Genesis 18:22) Don’t Write a Check, Make the TrekQuestion: Who is the oldest person in the Bible to have been circumcised and how old was he? Answer: Abraham was 99 years old when he circumcised himself. Even though he was in a lot of pain, he was distressed that no visitors […]
Are You Trading Your Happiness? We don’t need modern research to tell us that money can’t buy happiness, yet when an article comes out that provides concrete data or insights into the relationship between money and happiness, it is worthwhile to pay attention. Four years ago, Arthur Brooks wrote in an article documenting that while consumption has […]
What Does Your Ark Look Like? These are the offspring of Noah; Noah as a righteous man, perfect in his generation…(Gen. 6:9) Was Noah truly righteous OR was he righteous only in his generation? If he had lived in the generation of Abraham, he would not have been considered anything of significance. According to this explanation, […]
Shine Your Light: Reaction to the Tragedies in IsraelMost years the Haftorah this week contains the famous verse that the Jewish people will be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). The light we have given the world has been made apparent due to the tragic events of this past week. If you want to get an indication […]
Shine Your Light: Reaction to the Tragedies in Israel Most years the Haftorah this week contains the famous verse that the Jewish people will be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). The light we have given the world has been made apparent due to the tragic events of this past week. If you want to get an […]
A Woman goes to her therapist and complains that she doesn’t want to marry but her parents are pressuring her to do so.Woman: I am educated, independent, and self-sufficient. I don’t need a husband.Therapist: Due to your intelligence and track record of achievement, you will undoubtedly be a success but it’s inevitable that not everything will […]
Living with Questions A basic tenet of Judaism is that G-d is just. The Rock [G-d] — perfect is His work, for all His paths are justice… (32:4) This concept is mentioned in the Jewish mourning process when the mourners are required to recite the above verse at the funeral to remove from their hearts […]
Rosh Hashanah-5784/2023 Using Feminine Energy to Transform Ourselves A careful study of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah reveals that it is closely associated with women. Let us cite a few examples. (1) When the Talmud seeks to relate to the power of prayer on this day it illustrates this by noting that three women […]
The last mitzvah in the Torah is that every one of us should write—or commission someone to write—a Torah scroll to be used to learn from and serve as the primary text Jewish people should be taught. You might disagree with the Torah but you can’t deny that it is the source of everything Jewish […]
In ancient times, Jews would bring their first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. A procession would come with their fruits, led by musicians and oxen adorned with gold. The craftsmen of Jerusalem would stop working in order to greet this grand procession. The fruits were brought in baskets; wealthy people would use baskets of gold […]
Compassion Leads to Long Life It’s clinically proven and also common sense that being a kind, compassionate, and generous person contributes to good health and longevity. According to a recent study, people who are compassionate have less stress, and a reduced the chance of heart failure, which leads to longevity. Compassion might not always be the cause for […]
A Watershed Moment for an IDF Mom When the Jewish people would come into the Land of Israel, they are told not to engage in one of the most common activities of the gentile nations of the time—witchcraft. Whoever does these things is an abomination to G-d…Walk with a pure heart with HaShem, your G-d. (Deut. […]