Perhaps there is no parsha less studied than Tazria (and its frequent partner, Metzora).…
Yom Haatzmaut: Stuck in Traffic
A few years ago while on a visit to Israel, my good friend Michael Levenstein z”l, in whose memory…
Shmini: The Sounds of Silence
Modern society often expects people to keep their emotions in check and to avoid displaying them…
Pesach: Egyptian Economic Activity
Moshe Rabbeinu was our teacher par excellence. As a great pedagogue, he understood the importance…
Pesach: Don't Forget Yosef
The eating of karpas has long baffled our commentators. Why exactly do we dip a vegetable…
Pesachim 114: Lets Drink Some Wine
While “only” a rabbinic command, drinking four cups of wine is given special status at…
Vayikra: Time to Reflect
When making reference to biblical verses, we tend to identify them by chapter and verse. This most…
Pesachim 113: Crossing the Line
There is a fine line between matzah and chametz. They are, by definition, made of the same…
Parshat Hachodesh: Timing is Everything
“In the first month of the second year on the first of the month, the Tabernacle was erected…
Pesachim 99: Wine for the Poor
The most repeated mitzvah in the Torah—and hence, one can argue, the most important …
Pesachim 99: To Lean or Not to Lean
“On the eve of Pesachim, one may not eat adjacent to mincha time until it gets dark; …
Ki-Tisa: Where is Moshe
The mark of a great leader is the ability to inspire others—even in their absence. A great company…
Pesachim 99: What's to Eat
“On the eve of Pesachim, one may not eat adjacent to mincha time until it gets dark” (…
Tezaveh: Beyond Clothes
One of the key ways by which groups self-identify is through the medium of clothes. Almost all…
Purim: Shaping Jewish History
Rare is the person who has the opportunity to knowingly shape the course of Jewish history. Most…
Parshat Zachor: Defeating Evil
"He shall surely be put to death." "They shall be pelted with stones and thus stoned to death." "…
Pesachim 66: Anger Management
Judaism eschews extremism. “The two extremes in each and every tendency are not a good…
Pesachim 66: A Wise Leader
The Shulchan Aruch, the most accepted code of Jewish law, consists of four sections: Orach Chaim,…