Why Shabbat Changes its Gender Pronouns — By Ben
I have been attending Shabbat services for almost a decade and it turns out I may have been praying it wrong this whole time. When you recite the Shabbat Amidah […]
Author Archives: eltram
Counting Wrong, Desperate Uncertainty: Purim and the Golden Calf
It’s an odd thing that the holiday of Purim is celebrated around the time we read Parshas Ki Sisa, the Torah portion that features the sin of the golden calf. […]
Zachor – The Greatest Trick the Devil ever Pulled WASN’T Convincing the World he Didn’t Exist.
Remember what Amalek did to you on the road, on your way out of Egypt. That he encountered you on the way and cut off those lagging to your rear, […]
Kavod and the Mishkan: Why Does an Infinite God Seek Honor?
Parsha Terumah is the first of many Torah portions dealing with the building of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary and prototype of what will eventually become the Beit Hamikdash (aka […]
Mishpatim & Milk: When Generosity Becomes Control — By Ben
The word Mishpatim usually refers to civil laws, meaning the laws that govern society that make sense. Judges shouldn’t take bribes, if you damage someone’s property you should compensate them, […]
Yisro: Why do a Traitor, a Zealot, a Dictator, and a non-Jewish Priest get Torah portions named after them? — By Ben
There are only a handful of Torah portions named after individuals. Noach, Yisro, Korach, Balak, Pinchas, and if you want to get technical, Chaya Sarah. Putting Chaya Sarah aside (since […]
Man Plans, God Laughs: Life is a Joke – Are You in on It?
The person who runs away from a prophecy ends up running right into it. It’s probably the most cliché plot device in all of storytelling. Oedipus Rex. Return of the […]
Parsha Bo: Rosh Hashanah is in the Seventh Month?!
In parshas Bo, God gives the Jewish people their first official Mitzvah, God said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, [showing them the new moon:] “This renewal will signal the […]
Va’eira – Contradiction In Name
Parsha Va’eira begins, “God [Elohim] spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am Hashem [YKVK]. I revealed [Va’eira] Myself to Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov as the Almighty [El Shaddai], […]
Moses, a Giant Snake, and a Bris: The Story They Don’t Tell You in Hebrew School — By Ben
The narrative of the Exodus is quite possibly the most well known Bible story after Adam and Eve in the Garden and Noah’s Ark. Whether you’re a fan of the […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 