Megillas Esther – Why Mordechai Isn’t in the Title
Mordechai was one of the heroes of the whole Purim story. So why is his name missing from the title? This is the heartbreaking reason why Esther’s name stands alone.
Category Archives: Holidays
Bo – We Left Egypt. Did We Take the Bitterness With Us?
When the Israelites left Egypt, they chose to take the leftover maror with them. It wasn’t commanded. It was carried.
What we do with our pain after freedom might matter as much as how we survive it.
Colorful Coats, Hanukkah Pajamas, and a Shirt in a Married Woman’s Hand: What Do Your Clothes Say About You?
Vayeishev keeps coming back to clothing—Yosef’s coat, his garment in Potiphar’s house, Yehuda’s cloak. Each one reveals identity in a surprising way. As Chanukah begins, I reflected on what our own “garments” say about us, and how the holiday pushes us to show who we really are.
Sukkot: The Holiday That Happens at the Wrong Time. Why it Feels Just Right.
Sukkot always seems to arrive at the wrong time — just as the year gets colder, busier, and harder to slow down. But maybe that’s the point. The sukkah reminds us that joy doesn’t wait for the “right” moment; it’s built in the middle of life’s chaos. 🍂
Yom Kippur: God Will Understand. But you still have to do Teshuvah.
If I broke Shabbos to be with my mom, of course God would understand. But teshuvah is still the only way forward.
Rosh Hashanah in the Hospital: Why My Mother Wants Another Year
This Rosh Hashanah, my mom will be in the hospital recovering from a bone marrow transplant. When I asked why she wants another year of life, she didn’t say for family milestones — she said, “I want to be nicer.”
That’s the heart of Rosh Hashanah: not just asking for life, but asking for the chance to become better.
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?
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. […]
Pesach – Did the Oppression have to be so Bad? — By Ben
I couldn’t get a full post out this week, however I did have a thought I wanted to share. We focus so much on the story aspect of this holiday. […]
Getting Passed Over: Is Pesach a Misnomer or Have we Missed the Point? — By Ben
The name Passover has always bothered me. God passed over the Israelite houses as He wrathfully slaughtered the firstborn of Egypt. Sure, the Egyptians deserved it and it’s a moment […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 