“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?
Read More »The Path Of Destruction – Parshat Balak
What’s so bad about Bilaam? Now Balak, the king of Moab - for whom our parsha is named - he’s a real villain...
Read More »Eighteen Answers – Parshat Chukat
This week we run into one of the classic questions of the Torah: “What did Moses do that was so wrong?”
Read More »The Longing – Parshat Beha’alotcha
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.
Read More »The Garden of Earthly Delights – Parshat Naso
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.
Read More »The Temple of Doom – Parshat Bamidbar
"But actually, Spielberg wasn’t too far off from the original descriptions of the dangerous power of the Ark... "
Read More »Driven Mad – Parshat Behar-Bechukotai
All week, I’ve been thinking about this book, “A Driven Leaf,” by Milton Steinberg.
Read More »The Curse – Parshat Emor
This is the saddest story I know.
Read More »The Sound of Silence – Parshat Shemini
It is the worst thing that can happen. When a parent loses a child, it registers with us as the ultimate tragedy.
Read More »The One That Got Away – Seventh Day of Passover
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.
Read More »“The Silent Child” – Passover Haggadah
Any fan of midrash has got to love ‘The Four Children.’
Read More »Immortal Beloved – Parshat Vayechi
Jacob never died.
Read More »Isaac Unbound – Parshat Chayei Sarah
Rabbi Kasher's take on this week's parsha, Chayei Sarah.
Read More »PLAYING AROUND WITH THE TORAH – Parshat Vayeira
Everybody’s wondering what Ishmael did to the baby.
Read More »DESTINED TO DOUBT – Parshat Lech Lecha
This week, in Parshat Lech-Lecha, we begin the story of Avram -- Abraham. What can his story tell us about all of ours?
Read More »ParshaNut: The Original Chabad – Parashat Devarim
This week, we take a journey into the realm of Jewish epistemology. That ten-dollar word, epistemology, refers to theories of knowledge - attempts to answer the fundamental questions of how we know things and what can be known at all.
Read More »ParshaNut – Babes In The Wood – Parashat Terumah
Deep in the heart of God’s sanctuary, there in the Holy of Holies, stood two golden idols...
Read More »ParshaNut: The View From The Top – Parashat Balak
This week King Balak seeks to curse the Children of Israel, and fails. Then he does it again. And again. Why does he keep trying?
Read More »ParshaNut – The Genesis of Jewish Culture: Parashat Chukat
Why do certain periods in history seem to be erupting with cultural productivity, while others are relatively quiet?
Read More »ParshaNut – Day of the Dead, Parashat Shelach
After the sin of the spies, God unleashes the most severe punishment in the whole of the Torah.
Read More »Flags of Love and War – Parashat Bamidbar
What’s the big deal with burning a flag? A flag is just a symbol of the state, after all...
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