5 Levels of Pleasure. My Take. — By Ben
The founder of Aish HaTorah, Rabbi Noach Weinberg had an incredible understanding of the human condition. I’ve listened to his lectures, learned from his students, and studied at his yeshiva in […]
Category Archives: Posts by Ben
The time even Moses asked “Where’s God?” — By Ben
There isn’t a single person alive who from time to time hasn’t asked, “Where could God possibly be?” It is a harrowing question that drives some to atheism and others to tortured […]
Tishah B’Av, The worst bad day. — By Ben
Shakespearian actors and Jews have few things in common. 1) Both groups feel at home in New York. 2) Both groups pour over their source material, analyzing every letter, as if […]
If I’m supposed to rest on Shabbat, why can’t I drive? — By Ben
The question in the title was the contradiction that proved to me, for much of my life, that observant Judaism was backwards. If Shabbat is about rest, why can’t I rest the way I […]
The Ethics of the Fathers. Aka, Pirkei Avos. 1.1 — By Ben
If you’ve never heard of Pirkei Avos before then you’ve probably not been reading this blog much. Because Marc and I’ve been refering to it all the time. But to catch […]
Does Judaism believe we’re all wretched sinners? — By Ben
There’s been a bit of controversy this past week with the Supreme Court’s decision and, though I’m not commenting on that issue, it has stirred up a lot of debates […]
Why Faith isn’t Enough. Part III – The Mitzvahs! — By Ben
To finish up the Faith trilogy, I’m going to talk about Mitzvahs. Where some religions just require you believe or have faith to participate in the religion, Judaism asks for more. […]
Why Faith isn’t Enough. Part II – Emunah and Bitachon — By Ben
After painstakingly defining belief last week, I’m going to toss aside that definition to go a little deeper. So that being said… Belief! It’s easy enough to say one believes in […]
Why Faith Isn’t Enough. — by Ben
“The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a Primary Being who brought all existence into being. “ —Rambam, opening line of […]
The Forbidden Tree of Knowledge. God wanted us to be mindless followers? — By Ben
In case you’re not familiar with the Bible’s story of creation: God makes the universe in 6 days. On that 6th day, God makes man (Adam and Eve) and tells […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 