ILLEGAL, IMMORAL AND FATTENING Parashat Vayechi Life really stinks. There are so many things in life we can’t have. Luxury is out of our budget. As one gentile put it, all the good stuff in life is illegal, immoral or fattening. Life is so complicated and frustrating , full of expectations that we have that…

THE MAGICAL DREIDEL   An incredibly interesting question was asked by R’ Zacharia Wallerstien. The letters on the Dreidel, on the סביבון, are the letters נ’ ג’ ה’ ש’ , that are an acronym of נס גדול היה שם, a great miracle happened there. Now, the legend goes, that at the time of the Greek…

THE SECRET OF SELF-DISCIPLINE Parashat Vayeshev   Yosef, one of the most handsome men ever, was tested by Potifar’s wife in a way that we cannot begin to fathom. The seduction was obsessive. This wicked woman threatened to kill Yosef, to defame him and otherwise cause him harm. It would have been so much easier…

MARRIED TO A MATERIALISTIC MAN Parashat Vayishlach   We are judged for everything we do. But, that judging is so complex, because it means taking into consideration each individual person in his own, particular life, factoring in where they came from and in what given circumstances they find themselves. The same action can be a…

HOW TO ATTRACT YOUR SOULMATE Parashat Vayetze Prayer. It can be the most emotionally intense part of your day, or just something that you need to get over in order to get on to the next thing. It all depends on your approach to prayer, how much you believe in it, and your state of…