"I do mitzvahs without feeling," "I didn't have a choice" — does that count as a mitzvah? Does an unintentional transgression count?
On Judaism's double standard on the importance of intent
Ki Sisa: Witchcraft: Illusion or Reality?
Terumah: Looking to Hire: Temple Guards
Mishpatim: Alternative Justice System
Yitro: Different Versions of the Ten Commandments?!
Beshalach: Four camps at sea
Bo: Does G-d Change His Mind?
va’eira: Feeling Frustrated?
SHEMOT: Wonder Women in Egypt
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
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?