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: Posts by Ben
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 […]
Pesach: 4 Drinks Deep – By Ben
Passover has its staples. Eating matzah, telling over the story, kids selling back the afikomen, wondering When Do We Eat? But one tradition may just be more essential (and more […]
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 […]
Purim – Becoming The Main Character — By Ben
In screenwriting there is what is known as an act break. Movie structure generally has 3 acts, the set up, the fun and games, and the final act. (Technically there […]
Purim – Live or Die by the Mitzvahs — By Ben
Purim is rapidly approaching and before we know it we’ll all be sporting costumes, eating hamentashens, and drinking till we don’t know which way is up or down. Just kidding, […]
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 […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 