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 […]
Category Archives: Posts by Ben
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. […]
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 […]
Relationships: The Purpose of Creation — By Ben
Pirkei Avos: Charter 1, Mishneh 2 says… שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק הָיָה מִשְּׁיָרֵי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים Shimon the […]
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 […]
The Women of the Exodus — By Ben
I don’t think there is a more packed parsha than the first reading of the second book of the Torah. Shemos contains like the whole first half of the movie […]
Vayechi – End of Days — By Ben
With parsha Vayechi, we end the book of Bereishis (aka Genesis). It feels just like yesterday we were at Rosh Hashanah closing in on the end of the Torah. As […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 