Parsha
THE MITZVAH OF TACT
THE MITZVAH OF TACT Parashat Kedoshim Subtle or seemingly minor grammatical changes can give a completely new meaning to words. The laws of dikduk of the Hebrew language are extremely important, and unfortunately, most people who know Hebrew neither learn them nor know them. A common mistake people make about Lashon Hakodesh is believing that…
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LAUGHOTHERAPY Hodesh Adar Humor is such a powerful tool. It can be used to do the worst things possible, like making a good, kosher, modest woman into a Sotah. (Sotah 7a) And it can do the best possible thing, like getting people interested in learning Torah. (Shabbat 30b) The Baal HaTanya (Chapter 7) writes how…
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BEHIND THE BLUEPRINTS Parashat Vaera The wisest of men said, in Kohelet, (קהלת ב) ופניתי אני לראות חכמה והוללות וסכלות כי מה האדם שיבא אחרי המלך את אשר כבר עשוהו. And I turned to see wisdom, folly and foolishness, for what is left for a man to do, a man who comes after the…
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BEING G-D’S FIRSTBORN Parashat Shemot The hardest question to answer as a religious Jew is, if G-d is everything, and G-d is good, then why is the world so messed up? Why is there so much bad in the world? Couldn’t G-d create a world in which things would just make more sense? The answer…
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SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS Parashat Vayechi Someone asked me a few days after Hanukah how my vacation was. I answered that I am still בחפש. (I am still on vacation.) He asked me why I am still on vacation a week after Hanukah. I told him בחפש is also the acronym for the four things…
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