How could manna from heaven serve as forensic evidence in Moses's court, and how could lions participate in Solomon's judicial proceedings?
The Torah is not in the Heavens!
Lech Lecha: Renewal, Joy, and Progress
Yom Kippur: Personalized Repentance
Rosh Hashana: Struggle and Success
Shoftim: G-d’s Commando
Re’eh: Why is there Poverty in the World?
Ekev: Why Did Moses Break the Tablets?
V’eschanan: The Lesson of the Shema
Devarim: The Right Time for Rebuke
Matos Masei: Egoism or Altruism
Pinchas: A Challenging Relationship
Balak: God’s Secret Logic
Chukas: Moshe Hit the Rock. So What?
Korach: Leaders Without Borders
SHLACH: SOLVING FORGETFULNESS
Be’haloscha: The End of the Chain?
Naso: To Be a Mensch
Shavuos II (Bamidbar): What Does An Angel Look Like?
Shavuos (Bechukosai): “Beauty is Vain…” Really?
Behar (Lag Baomer): Rabbi Akiva’s Students – Lovers or Haters?
Siyum Harambam: Can I Master the Entire Torah?
Kedoshim: Why Is Judaism Obsessed With Blessings?
Acharei: What’s Between the Lines?
Pesach: Security Measures
Pesach: Will Everything Be Okay?
11 NISSAN (FORMERLY PREPARED FOR TETZAVEH): A HOUSE FILLED WITH LIGHT
Tazria: Lamplighters
Shemini: The Calf and the Heavenly Flame
Zachor: Arguing With Amalekites
Purim: Purim According to Kabbalah
Pekudei: How Were the Pyramids Built?
Elon Musk tweeted that aliens built them, the prevailing tradition is that the Israelites built them, and Egyptian scholars claim that Egyptians built them. But everyone is still amazed: how did they manage to move such heavy stones? And why couldn’t the Levites use the same technology in erecting the Tabernacle?
Vayakhel: Donations, Demons and Wills
Ki Sisa: Jewish Hygiene
Tetzaveh: Haman’s Mistake
Terumah: Atonement or Elevation?
Mishpatim: Our Goal in Life
Yisro: Jungle or Orchard?
Beshalach: Gold Chasers and Grave Diggers
Bo: The Public Declaration
Vaera: Judaism’s Universal Message
Shemot: What Exercise Teaches Us
Vayechi: The Evil Eye
Vayigash: Pay Attention
Chanukah/Mikeitz: Why The Conflict?
Chanukah/Vayeshev: Have the Winners Been Declared?
Vayishlach: When Success Breeds Humility
Vayetzei: What Makes a Hero?
Toldot: Turning a New Leaf
Chayei Sarah: The Admission Test
Every new bride goes through an ‘admission test’ in her new family. In Abraham’s family, there was a very high bar. Rebecca was accepted into the family only when she managed to bring several miracles into her home: A Cloud of Glory, a growing dough, and a candle that wouldn’t go out. What do those miracles represent?
Vayera: The Biblical Story and Its Kabbalistic Interpretation
Noach: When Noah Didn’t Argue
When G-d tells Noah that he plans to destroy humanity, Noah does not pound on the table and demand mercy. Why? Why didn't he act like Moses, who pounded on the table and prevented the Children of Israel from being punished?
A deeper reading will shed light on Noah's reasoning and teach us how to judge others.
Tishrei: The Journey of the Holidays
Why a Leap Year?
Simchat Beit Hashoevah – The importance of tradition
Ki Teitze: Judaism and Polygamy?
Ki Teitze: Judaism and Polygamy?
When was polygamy banned in Judaism? Who didn’t agree? Why was the initiator known as “Light of the Exile”?
The history of Rabbeinu Gershom’s landmark enactments and their kabbalistic significance.
Shoftim: The Soldier or the War?
Va’etchanan: Are You Emotional or Intellectual?
Va’etchanan: Are You Emotional or Intellectual?
The secret to success is to properly balance our minds and hearts. A daily ritual, dating back to the days of the Egyptians, will help you attain this balance.
Tisha B’av: Rejoicing in Tragedy
Menachem-Av: Solace Through Yearning
Pinchas: How to Deal with Bias
Balak: The Breach in the Wall – A Good Development or a Bad One?
On which date did the Babylonians invade Jerusalem? Was it the ninth of Tammuz or the seventeenth?
An apparent contradiction in ancient Jewish sources is resolved by examining biblical military strategies — with the insight and awareness that that a bad situation can always be turned into a good one.
Chukat: Dealing With Resentment
Gimmel Tammuz – Korach: Don’t Abandon Ship
Shelach: Statistics and Free Will
Behaloscha: Is It Really Never Too Late?
Naso: Be Smart and Apologize!
Shavuot: The Anatomy of a Custom
Behar-Bechukosai: Three Layers of Comfort
Emor: High Court on the Dock
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim: Why Did They Cry?
Shemini: Behind the Kosher Scenes
Pesach: Four Questions for Life
On Passover eve, we all gather around the Seder table and turn our attention to the children’s recital of the Four Questions. These Questions are not just children’s play. They have deep meaning and relevance for every person’s life. The following pages contain a new and original interpretation for the ancient and beloved text.
Vayikra: How Many Times Could You Ask?
Vayakhel-Pekudei: Between Right and Right
Ki Tisa: Broken Tablets: An Achievement?
Tetzaveh: Archaeology vs. Tradition
Terumah: The Power of the Palpable
Mishpatim: Reincarnation Can Define Your Life’s Mission
People are often quick to shrug off communal responsibility. Even Moses himself, when instructed to redeem the People of Israel, made every effort to avoid the mission.
What does Jewish tradition say about this attitude? Is communal work really for everyone?
Yitro: Leadership of Love
Beshalach: The Emphasis on Women
Bo: Why Do Rabbis Make Rules?
Throughout Jewish history, the rabbis have enacted takanot, or Rabbinic ordinances, to safeguard Jewish observance. Shabbat begins at sundown? The sages extend it by eighteen minutes. The evening Shema must be recited by sunrise? The rabbis said midnight.
Where did they learn this behavior? Why are the Torah’s commands not enough?