Coincidence, Mourning, & God’s Name — By Ben
There are many things in my life I have to be thankful for. Health, love, and family, to name a few. But there are few things I treasure more than […]
There are many things in my life I have to be thankful for. Health, love, and family, to name a few. But there are few things I treasure more than […]
Tisha B’Av is a reminder of some incredible loss… both of our Temples (586 B.C.E. and 70 C.E.), and a variety of tragedies and other massacres that befell the Jewish […]
With words… With words G-d created the world. With words, will humans destroy it?“Words create worlds.” – Rabbi Abraham Heschel “God has granted us the powerful gift of language, the tool […]
I had rationed my time perfectly. It was the Thursday before the final Shabbos of the year when I sat down at 8:30 pm to write. I had made a […]
In every Shemona Esrei there’s a section for refuah shlema, healing. Within that prayer, there is a place to insert the names of specific people who are sick and so […]
For Shlomo…Shiva means seven. When someone passes away… and we sit shiva for a parent, sibling, child or spouse… the mourners return home or to the home of the deceased […]
The words tragedy and tragic are perhaps overused. When someone passes from a ripe old age, it may be sad… it may be a remarkable loss… but usually, it is […]
Parshas Vayeira has plenty to talk about. From Avraham ditching God to do hospitality, to Avraham arguing with God about destroying Sodom and Gemorroah, and ending with possibly the most troubling […]
I go out of my way to make this blog apolitical… but too often in today’s world there are things that come up in politics that need to be addressed. […]
Parshas Noach is one of the most troubling portions in all of Torah. The idea that God wiped out all humanity, save one family, is terrifying. Ironically, this is the Bible story […]