We sometimes yearn for certain experiences or feel nostalgia for things that are out of our control. Should we push those feelings aside? Or do they serve a purpose of their own?
Menachem-Av: Solace Through Yearning
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Balak: The Breach in the Wall – A Good Development or a Bad One?
B
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.
Ethics of Our Fathers 5: Yesteryear of Miracles
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Ethics of The Fathers tells of the miraculous phenomena in the Beit Hamikdash. What's their contemporary message for us?
Behar-Bechukosai: Three Layers of Comfort
B
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, his son Rabbi Elazar, and the Rebbe each provide a message of encouragement to the Jewish people. The inspiration begins with the Talmud, continues through the Zohar, and receives a new layer of insight through the teachings of Chassidism.
Behaalotecha: Is It Really Never Too Late?
B
The holiday of Pesach Sheni (Second Passover) famously teaches that it is never too late. Is that also true of the worst sins and crimes? This is a story of someone who received a message from heaven that it was too late, and yet he still received another chance.
Shavuot: The Anatomy of a Custom
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In the early common era, people were accustomed to greeting each other by invoking G-d’s name. Why did they do so? Why is it no longer customary?
A fascinating look into the Jewish reactions to idolatry, Christianity and Islam.
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim: Why Did They Cry?
A
In the Second Temple era, tensions between the Sadducees and the Pharisees would come to a head when the leading rabbis would coach the High Priest for his worship on Yom Kippur.
They would all leave in tears. What exactly was going on?
Pesach: Four Questions for Life
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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.
Ki Tisa: Broken Tablets: An Achievement?
K
When the Torah eulogizes Moses, it mentions the breaking of the Tablets as one of his greatest virtues. Doesn’t that seem ludicrous?
Vayera: A Leader to All
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What is the responsibility of a pious individual among sinners? A deeper look at three of our most famous ancestors, Noach, Avraham and Moshe.
Ethics of Our Fathers 6: The Values Beyond Money
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Who turns down a million-dollar offer? And who says no to the gift of a new Cadillac? A Jewish perspective on the values of Torah and spirituality.
Chanukah: Have the Winners Been Declared?
C
We all love to celebrate Chanukah, the holiday which marks our victory over the Syrian Greeks and the miracle of the oil. Did you know that it took the sages a full year to decide whether they were victorious?
Behind the scenes in the Chanukah story.