Noach – Ignoring the Forecast — By Ben
The story of the flood is always a bit of a hot button issue. The science minded find much to doubt in how animals from all corners of the globe […]
Category Archives: Parsha
Bereishis – The First Rejection — By Ben
Bereishis is one of my favorite parshas in the Torah. I started learning Hebrew simply by reading the first chapters and comparing it to multiple translations. The nuances of the […]
The Four Days After Yom Kippur
I’m davening maariv, the evening prayer, immediately following the final moments of Yom Kippur. We’ve not broken the fast, we’ve not even done havdalah, but as I’m praying, all I […]
Yom Kippur – The Maybe Mindset — By Ben
Yom Kippur is upon us once again. A looooooooong day of fasting, fretting, apologizing… we all know the drill by now. But in all seriousness, Yom Kippur is a tremendously […]
Nitzavim – No More Excuses on Rosh Hashanah
As we approach the high holidays, the final parshas of the Torah are often overlooked in place of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur ideas. But there’s a reason we read […]
The Torah Lets Us Have War Brides? — By Ben
Man does this week’s parsha start with a troubling concept. If you should go to war against your enemies and Hashem your God puts them into your hand, and you […]
Bribes, Bias, and Blindspots — By Ben
We all understand that judges and public officials probably shouldn’t take bribes. As the definitive example of corruption, it tilts the scales of justice towards the rich, clouds judgment, and […]
Eikev – Reward in This World? — By Ben
Last week’s parsha Va’eschanan ends, “You are to guard the commandments and the statutes and the laws that I am commanding you today, to fulfill.” (Devarim 7:11) Rashi clarifies on that last […]
Shema – Words to Live By — By Ben
Not long ago I explored the ideas surrounding the Shema, the mantra that distills the essence of Judaism down to a six word slogan. “Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad” […]
Masei – 42 – Douglas Adams was on to Something — By Ben
Fans of the hilarious and farcical sci-fi series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy are well aware of the significance of the number 42. If you’re not familiar with the books, […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 