Rashi Says What Now? (Matos) — By Ben
“Says Rashi…” “If you look at the Rashi…” “Rashi comments…” If you’ve attended a Torah class or read any articles about the Parsha or Gemara you’ve probably heard someone reference […]
Category Archives: Parsha
Balak — Which Way You Wanna Go? — by Ben
This week we have talking donkeys, angles with flaming swords, and a Moabite orgy. But probably the most notable element is Bilaam. If you’re unfamiliar with the parsha, basically the […]
Chukas – Moses Badman? — By Ben
Ohh parhas Chukas and the famous incident with Moses hitting the rock. I wrote about it last year within the context of Moses’s whole life. But I decided to come […]
Korach – The Stick of Truth — By Ben
Parshas Korach has a lot of drama. Needless to say, after last week’s parsha and the Jews being condemned to wander the desert for 40 years, you could see why […]
Shelach – Something to Cry About — By Ben
I got fired yesterday. Okay, not really fired, let go. And I’ll work until the end of next week. The parting was amicable and my boss is fair, generous and we’ll […]
Shavuos – Letting Yourself Ask for Help — By Ben
I’ve worked in restaurants on and off since college. The job can be tremendously stressful, hectic, and in the midst of the dinner rush, can feel like war. Imagine that 3 […]
Hod. The Link between Pesach Sheni, Lag B’Omer, and Manna from Heaven. – By Ben
We’re in a really odd time right now in the Jewish calendar. Between Pesach and Shavuos is a what’s known as the counting of the Omer. For 49 days we count each […]
Kedoshim – Who the Hell Wants to be Holy? — By Ben
I don’t know about you, but I never have had any desire to be holy. You walk around seeing hassidic men in shtreimels avoiding all secular media or looking away from […]
Vayikra – Sacrifices Shmacrifices — By Ben
This week’s Torah portion starts the book of Vayikra, aka Leviticus. It’s one of the less exciting parts of the Torah, in that it mostly deals with the instructions and […]
An Eye for an Eye and a $100,000 Ticket For Speeding — By Ben
In Finland, it’s possible to get a speeding ticket for hundreds of thousands of dollars… if you’re rich. That’s because in most Scandinavian countries, a person’s income is factored into the […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 