December 2021

Yaakov asked the angel “Please tell me your name.” “Why do you ask me my name?” replied the angel. (Bereshith 32:30) The Torah’s words seem… Read More »Don’t Ask

With Guest Author: Michal Silverstein For better or worse, food is an important part of American culture. “Power-lunch”, black-tie fundraiser, birthday party, bar/bat mitzvah, wedding… Read More »Eating Your Way to Self-Esteem: A Jewish Perspective

QUESTION 94 There are airports that provide self-service carts to help the passengers out with their luggage. You have to pay $2 to use it,… Read More »Returning Airport Luggage Carts

The Chasam Sofer was a Torah giant of the nineteenth century. He was both the Rosh Yeshiva and rabbi of Pressburg, a city that was… Read More »Making Time for Song

The ancient custom of visiting and davening at graves of tzaddikim during times of tribulation has many sources in Talmudic literature.(1) Indeed, Shulchan Aruch records… Read More »Visiting The Graves Of Tzadikkim: How And Why?

The Mitzvah: There is a commandment “You shall love the proselyte, for you [ Israel] were yourselves strangers in the land of Egypt” (Devarim 10:19… Read More »Strangers in our Midst?

Following the narrative in which G-d elucidated to Moshe (Moses) how he would approach Pharaoh and Pharaoh would ignore him, the Torah states “Moshe was… Read More »The Effort Department

This week, the Torah tells us how the Egyptian exile entered its waning moments as the dawn of redemption begins. Moshe and Aharon threatened Pharaoh… Read More »Proof in the Putting

FRIDAY NIGHT WE CAN FINALLY sit back and enjoy the show. It’s always so comforting to watch the tables finally turn on Pharaoh and the… Read More »Hidden Antisemitism

The Torah scholar should not walk with erect stature and head held high (lit., ‘throat thrust out’) as it states ‘[…for the daughters of Zion… Read More »Chapter 5, Law 8 – Walking the Walk