MISHPATIM: The Rights Of A Jewish Wife
The Ketuba, the Jewish marriage document, states the obligations of the husband towards his wife (see more here). The groom declares to his bride...
MISHPATIM: When And How Did Judaism Begin?
ויקח ספר הברית ויקרא באזני העם ויאמרו כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה ונשמע
Exodus 24:7
THE BERIT
Three thousand five hundred years ago, the people of Israel...
Summary of Parashat Mishpatim
Last week we read the Ten Commandments, which are like a preview of the 613 commandments, that make up the National Constitution of the...
PURIM: How We Celebrate and Why
לעשות אותם ימי משתה ושמחה ומשלח מנות איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים
“To observe them as days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one...
YITRO : Why Did Israel Deserve To Receive The Tora?
MOSHE’S HUMILITY
After their liberation from their Egyptian masters, the people of Israel faced several challenges: lack of water, food shortages, and, worst of all,...
YITRO: What Do You See When You See The Pyramids?
In preparation for the Parashah that we will read tomorrow morning—Yitro—which describes the celebration of the Covenant between God and the Jewish people at...
SUMMARY OF PARASHAT YITRO
The Advice of Yitro
Moshe's father-in-law, Yitro, arrives at the Israelite camp in the desert and is informed by Moshe of the many miracles that...
JERUSALEM AND THE FIGHTING ROOSTERS
My uncle, Hakham Yosef Faur, z"l, told me this story when I was a child.
One day, the Sultan of Turkey—the most powerful man on...
KING DAVID’S JERUSALEM
“בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלִַם ה׳”
"HaShem will build Yerushalayim"
King David does not describe the building of the capital city as an ordinary act of construction. He does...
I ❤️ ISRAEL: Embracing Jerusalem’s Chaos
Generally, we don't come to Israel in January. My wife, Coty, and I usually arrive in July and enjoy the summer. This time, however,...
SUMMARY OF PARASHAT BO
EIGHTH PLAGUE
Moshe goes to meet Pharaoh and warns him that if he does not allow the Hebrew slaves to leave, Egypt will be devastated...
BO: My candidate for Darkness
Shemot 10:21, HaShem said to Moshe, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt. 22...
THREE DESTRUCTIVE COMMUNICATION PATTERNS
Based John Gottman’s: The Seven Principles for making marriage work
1. CRITICISM vs COMPLAINT
Criticism
• Attacks personality or character
• Uses “always / never”
• Creates defensiveness
Complaint...
SUMMARY OF PARASHAT SHEMOT
This week we start a new book: Shemot, “Names” or Exodus.
1. THE BIRTH OF MOSHE
The Tora begins by mentioning the names of Jacob’s sons...
SHEMOT: Argentina World Cup Champions and the Exodus from Egypt
The Bible, Biblical archeology, and ancient Jewish history are taught in the Jewish academic world. But there is a phenomenon that is not much...
SHEMOT: Antisemitism Began In Egypt
וַיָּ֥קׇם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖שׁ עַל־מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע אֶת־יוֹסֵֽף
ויאמר אל עמו הנה עם בני ישראל רב ועצום ממנוהבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה והיה כי תקראנה מלחמה ונוסף...
VAYICHI: Preparing Ourselves To Die
LIVE LIKE MORTALS
The idea of death has always fascinated me. In my teens, becoming my conscious of my own mortality and its hopeless inevitability...
SUMMARY OF PARASHAT VAYICHI
Parashat Vayichi (ויחי) which means “and he lived” refers to the last 17 years of the life of the patriarch Jacob , Ya’aqob, in...
VAYICHI: The forgotten Hero of Genesis
This Shabbat we will finish reading the book of Bereshit (Genesis). The first of the five books of the Tora includes a fascinating story,...
VAYICHI: Success and Failure in Raising Children
Our Sages never overlooked the small and significant missteps made by our ancestors, especially in the times before the Tora had been revealed when...
