Because You Did Not Serve Him with Happiness This week’s Torah reading warns us of terrible curses which the Jewish Nation can potentially suffer. What might one do to deserve […]
Judaism 101
Explore deep Jewish concepts like free will, the soul, and Divine Providence—made approachable.
A Frightening Judgement Look around you on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur as the powerful, frightening piyut (liturgical poem) of Unetaneh Tokef is sung during the Mussaf prayer. This awe-inspiring section depicts […]
First we need the big picture. Then we probe individually. Rosh Hashana is the forest. Yom Kippur is each tree. How do our actions differ, From the goals Hashem (God) […]
Botched Plans “Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine,” has new meaning to me. We, Baruch Hashem (thank God), had a simcha (happy occasion) […]
One Mitzvah Leads to Another In this week’s Torah reading, we have the mitzvah (commandment) of Shiluach Haken, sending away the mother bird before taking her eggs or chicks, which […]
I know, I know. The month of Elul should inspire awe and fear. I have heard stories of people in previous generations who would tremble when Rosh Chodesh Elul (the approach […]
Advice from an Ant The Midrash (Parshat Shoftim 5:2) quotes a pasuk from Mishlei (6:6-8), “Go to the ant, you lazy one, observe its ways and become wise…. It prepares […]
A Judge in Your Days The verse in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Shoftim, says (Devarim 17:9) that if one requires a ruling in Torah law, you should go to […]
Teshuvah (Repentance) – A Daunting Task? As we enter the month of Elul, many people become more somber. They realize that judgment day is around the corner, and that they […]
It was God’s Idea! The verse (Devarim 8:18) in this week’s Torah reading says that we should remember that it is God who gives us strength to succeed in business; […]
