Mishpatim – Agreeing Before Understanding — By Ben
The phrase Naaseh V’Nishma is considered possibly the most lauded utterance of the Jewish people. Just before the event of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, God asks the […]
Category Archives: Exodus/Shemos
Tests and Miracles — By Ben
I have a friend who recently got back from leading a trip to Israel. A tremendously inspirational and committed person, she, like me, is a baal teshuvah. Her dedication to […]
Bo – Coming and Going
Parshas Bo contains the final three plagues of Egypt. The title of the parsha, “Bo” refers specifically to the way God instructs Moses to approach Pharaoh as he warns him […]
Being Equal To God — By Ben
When I was a kid, I remember watching a news special detailing how something called a T cell can get taken over by a virus which uses it to replicate […]
Vayakhel – The Jewish Meyers Briggs Test
As we make our way through the Mishkan parshas, the Torah may not seem as engaging as earlier chapters. But if you look closely, say at the… terumah offering or […]
Ki Sisa – 13 Attributes Of Mercy
If you’re reading this on the day it was published, you are in the midst of one of the many fast days in the Jewish calendar. This one being the […]
Terumah – Torah is Out Of Order
Parshas Terumah begins the first of four Torah portions that discuss the portable sanctuary known as the Mishkan (or Tabernacle.) These are very intricate parshas that detail everything from how […]
Mishpatim – How Could a Nation of Slaves Own Slaves? — By Ben
The abolition of slavery is one of the benchmarks of mankind’s progression towards enlightenment and humanity. So to look at the Torah, which not only allows for slavery but instructs you how to […]
Bo – A Plague of Darkness
The ninth plague to ravage Egypt was חֽשֶׁךְ. Darkness. Now we tend to think of darkness as the absence of light, the way cold is the absence of heat. But if you […]
Mercy Vs Justice : Names of God — Va’eira — By Ben
I had an English teacher in 9th grade who delighted in making fun of us in front of the whole class. I remember one time he knocked Yuriy Teslyar’s notebook […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 