Megillas Esther – Why Mordechai Isn’t in the Title
Mordechai was one of the heroes of the whole Purim story. So why is his name missing from the title? This is the heartbreaking reason why Esther’s name stands alone.
Tag Archives: torah
Terumah – The Day That Annoying Kid Got Left Behind: How Abandonment Taught Me to Build Connection
The day I got left behind wasn’t really about abandonment.
It was about a kid who wanted to be heard — but never stopped to listen.
I’m starting to think that lesson wasn’t just about childhood but about my relationship with God.
Yisro – When Unity Becomes Dangerous
We talk a lot about unity as if it’s automatically good.
This week’s parshiyot suggest something more unsettling: unity can be powerful and destructive — depending on what it’s built on.
Bo – We Left Egypt. Did We Take the Bitterness With Us?
When the Israelites left Egypt, they chose to take the leftover maror with them. It wasn’t commanded. It was carried.
What we do with our pain after freedom might matter as much as how we survive it.
Colorful Coats, Hanukkah Pajamas, and a Shirt in a Married Woman’s Hand: What Do Your Clothes Say About You?
Vayeishev keeps coming back to clothing—Yosef’s coat, his garment in Potiphar’s house, Yehuda’s cloak. Each one reveals identity in a surprising way. As Chanukah begins, I reflected on what our own “garments” say about us, and how the holiday pushes us to show who we really are.
Did the Man Who Violated Dina Become Rabbi Akiva?
A surprising kabbalistic tradition links Shechem’s corrupted desire to Rabbi Akiva’s sanctified passion.
Yaakov Wasn’t a Moderate — Leadership Takes More Than the Middle Ground
The American political divide isn’t just about policy—it reflects two deep spiritual forces that have shaped the world since Creation. By exploring how Avraham, Yitzchak, and especially Yaakov balanced these forces, we can rethink what real leadership demands.
The Physics of Miracles: Finding Blessing in What Remains
Miracles rarely arrive out of nowhere. They begin with what’s already in your hands. The oil in your jar, the crumbs on your table, the few minutes of light left in your candles. We keep waiting for God to start from scratch — but maybe the blessing begins in what remains.
Why Shabbat Changes its Gender Pronouns — By Ben
I have been attending Shabbat services for almost a decade and it turns out I may have been praying it wrong this whole time. When you recite the Shabbat Amidah […]
Counting Wrong, Desperate Uncertainty: Purim and the Golden Calf
It’s an odd thing that the holiday of Purim is celebrated around the time we read Parshas Ki Sisa, the Torah portion that features the sin of the golden calf. […]
Six Degrees Of Kosher Bacon 