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” […]
Category Archives: Posts by Ben
The Gift of Mourning & Tisha B’Av — By Ben
It’s Wednesday and I’m attending the funeral of my friend Jason’s father. It’s a bright clear sunny day at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park and Mortuary in the Hollywood Hills, […]
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, […]
Change of Perspective — By Ben
Balak is a fascinating Torah portion. Centering around Bilaam, the only non-Jewish prophet said to be on the level of Moses, this is the only place in all of the […]
Urgent Care and Delayed Rebuke — By Ben
My back hurts a lot. I’ve never felt pain this debilitating before. I had been camping in Lake Casitas and I awoke in my tent in such agony it took […]
Korach Took — By Ben
The Torah tells us not to be like Korach. It doesn’t tell us not to be like the wicked prophet Bilam or Yaakov’s conniving uncle Lavan. It doesn’t even tell […]
What Chance Do We Have? — By Ben
Once again we’re at the chilling parsha, Shelach. If you’re not familiar, the Jews are literarily (and figuratively) at the finish line. After coming out of slavery, crossing the sea, and […]
Connection from Conformity? — By Ben
I’ve now been praying exclusively with a minyan for almost a year. The concretized service, ideally, is conducted with a quorum of 10 men and is done three times a […]
Better Than “Live Long and Prosper” — By Ben
“…You can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mister Spock, both Jewish!” The memorable line from the legendary Adam Sandler ballad, The Hanukkah Song reminds us that Judaism has […]
Shavuos – Two At Once — By Ben
The internet was set ablaze this week with the Laurel/Yanny phenomenon. If you’re not familiar, an audio recording was posted where people swore they heard the word “Laurel” while others […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 