This land was once filled with giants. But they died out, slowly, over the centuries, until there was only one left - the great and mighty Og.

“The Forest of Sadness.” That’s the last stop recorded in the Sinai travel itinerary. What is this strange place? And what pain does it hold, there in the shadows of its trees?

We should talk about the Daughters of Tzelophehad more.

What’s so bad about Bilaam? Now Balak, the king of Moab - for whom our parsha is named - he’s a real villain...

This week we run into one of the classic questions of the Torah: “What did Moses do that was so wrong?”

This week, everything goes to hell.

It only took one week. From the day the Children of Israel were first given the Sabbath, they managed to observe just one day of rest together as a whole community.

For the next five weeks, we will be touring through some of the darkest chapters in the Israelites’ long desert journey. And one theme will dominate these parshot above all: dissatisfaction.

Asceticism - the idea that physical pleasure stands in the way of spiritual enlightenment - has a long and storied history in the annals of religious thought.

"But actually, Spielberg wasn’t too far off from the original descriptions of the dangerous power of the Ark... "

All week, I’ve been thinking about this book, “A Driven Leaf,” by Milton Steinberg.

This is the saddest story I know.

Parshat Kedoshim - which begins with the famous injunction, “you shall be holy” - includes a series of warnings against all kinds of horrifying idolatrous practices, replete with gory description: eating blood; gashing the flesh of dead bodies; passing children into fire.

It is the worst thing that can happen. When a parent loses a child, it registers with us as the ultimate tragedy.

Seven days after we left Egypt, we reached the Red Sea. That was the day our enemies died. And, to be honest, we were happy about it.

Any fan of midrash has got to love ‘The Four Children.’

It’s time to get dressed. We’ve been talking about the Tabernacle and the offerings for weeks now.

Leviticus is full of substances. There is flesh and fat, oil and grain, ashes and smoke, water and wine.

Got a hot one for you this week, folks! Send the kids out of the room, because this Torah is for adults only...

For reasons unclear, many of the classic books of Jewish law take their titles from - of all things – the various pieces of the High Priest’s clothing.

I’m reading this week’s parsha, Terumah, which - let’s be honest - might be the least exciting read in the whole Torah.

This week’s parsha contains what is arguably the single most important moment in the Torah: The Revelation at Mount Sinai.  

This is it. Time to go. The Exodus is actually happening.

The strangest thing about that first Passover was living with the lamb for four days.

Behold - the plagues! Rivers of blood! Swarms of locusts! Darkness upon the land! Terrifying devastation, of supernatural proportions, all wrought by God’s mighty… finger.