Behar – Taking Interest — By Ben
It was late last week that I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I came across a friend’s post (see above.) Whenever any of my secular friends talk about […]
Category Archives: Parsha
Emor – Blasphemy — By Ben
In parsha Emor the Torah goes through several prescriptions of ways to be holy including who can serve in the Temple, what sacrifices are allowed, the mitzvahs of observing the […]
Don’t Cut Corners – By Ben
Have you ever noticed the Torah has some strange notions about corners? For example let me refer to two verses from this week’s Torah portion, Kedoshim. When you reap your […]
After the Death — By Ben
This past Shabbos/end of Pesach I found myself in Bellevue Washington. A good friend from my years in Seattle was getting married over the holiday weekend and lucky for me […]
Tazria – Don’t Cast Out the Leper — By Ben
One of the things that has bothered me about the Torah is the insensitive treatment of a person who has contracted leprosy. Exiling said person like a piece of garbage, […]
Knowing Your Role — By Ben
One of my favorite experiences of my early career was working as a writers apprentice on the TV show Robot Chicken. I had watched the pop culture sketch animation show […]
Is There a Jewish Hell? — By Ben
Even though I didn’t grow up very religious, I always liked the idea that Judaism doesn’t have a hell. The concept of a never ending torture fest because you didn’t […]
Ki Sisa – Remember What You Have
I’m pretty sure even the most disconnected uneducated atheist has some awareness of the infamous sin of the Golden Calf. Much like the “apple” from the Garden of Eden and […]
Tetzaveh – Moses Redacted
Tetzaveh may be considered a bit of a dry parsha as it mostly details the clothing and duties of the Kohanim (Priests of the Temple). But there’s an interesting oddity […]
Joy – A Tale of Two Adars — By Ben
This year Purim won’t be in the month of Adar. Well, it’s not going to be in the first Adar. It’ll be in the second one. Second one? Funny story. […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 