Why the Torah Says a Positive Outlook Won’t Fix Real Problems
Gratitude is easy. Action is hard. That’s why the Torah insists that seeing blessing means being a blessing.
Author Archives: eltram
Fear of God: The Opposite of What Dictators Demand
When most people hear “fear of God,” they picture the same fear dictators like Putin or Kim Jong Un demand — the kind that crushes thought and freedom. But what if the Torah’s fear of God is the opposite — a force that empowers, enlightens, and sets you free?
Do the Ten Commandments Contradict Themselves in Va’eschanan?
In Parshat Yisro, we’re told to keep Shabbat because God created the world. But in Va’eschanan, we’re told it’s because we were taken out of Egypt. Why the shift? Is this a contradiction—or something deeper?
You Had to Be There: Moshe’s Final Rebuke and the Cost of Absence
When I first moved to LA, I worked at a reality TV company. A client hated one of our segments, ironically, the part they had pushed for. Furious, they demanded […]
Aharon Died on the First of Av. Where Did the Love Go?
Aharon the priest ascended Mount Hor at God’s bidding and died there, on the first day of the fifth month in the 40th year of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. […]
The Daughters of Tzelofchad – The First Time a Woman Asked to Speak to the Manager
Parsha’s Pinchas contains the first account of a woman asking to speak to the manager. Not just one woman, but five. The daughters: Machlah, No’ah, Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah stood […]
Balak – Run For Your Life
תָּמֹ֤ת נַפְשִׁי֙ מ֣וֹתיְשָׁרִ֔ים וּתְהִ֥י אַֽחֲרִיתִ֖י כָּמֹֽהוּ Bilam, the wicked prophet, famously wanted to curse the Israelites but Hashem changed his words and Bilam instead blessed them three times. The quote […]
Why Was Miriam Denied Entrance to Israel? The Real Ultimate Chok
Hashem said to Moshe and Aharon, “Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the presence of Bnei Yisroel; therefore, you will not bring this congregation into […]
Korach’s Story Is Convincing. Can You Spot the Logical Fallacies?
“Korach took…” famously starts this week’s parsha. With 250 men, Korach confronts Moses and Aharon saying, “You have taken too much for yourselves since the entire congregation is holy and […]
Shelach — The Cost of Waiting — By Ben
“Your punishment will be according to the number of days that you scouted out the land, 40 days, a day for each year, a day for each year; you will […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 