ב"ה

Guest Columnists

What to Tell Yourself When Things Go Wrong
In the meantime, it’s dark, confusing, and difficult. That’s only because the process of getting to a deeper place can give space for negative consequences. But just around the bend is a time, a space that is even deeper and greater, that it will make this period worthwhile.
The Four Stages of Personal Growth
If you are having real difficulty in realizing your goals, then you may need to get to the root of the hidden beliefs and fears that are blocking you.
Solutions With a Soul
Parshat Shemot
Every human being has incalculable worth; differences in ability are superimposed upon our innate humanity.
Did G-d Really Need to Punish the Egyptians?
Obviously, the Egyptians did some really bad things, and something had to be done to free the children of Israel. But couldn’t G-d have found a more humane way to deal with the situation?
Is G‑d Vengeful?
So this is the famous Torah portion where we read about the beginning of the end of the Egyptians. Why all the violence?
Frogmen
All of creation may be divided into three categories: the good, the bad and the frogs
My Exodus, Your Exodus
Why is change so difficult? Maybe because, often, we don't really want to change. Ancient Jewish texts describe this problem as a "Pharaoh Syndrome"...
Fire and Ice
The ten plagues were not sent just to dismantle Egypt's infrastructure. They were powerful forces that provided the Jews with strategies for spiritual rehabilitation...
Turning Up the Heat
The very concept of Egypt denotes limitation, a sense of entrapment, blockage and slavery. And we have a directive to escape this reality every day. We don’t need to physically live in the land of Egypt under Pharaoh’s rule to feel enslaved . . .
Parenting Advice From a Survivor
Parshat Va’eira
By the time she was four, Lily had survived and lived more lives than a person of a hundred and twenty.
What Was the Point of the Plagues?
He could have just zapped them, and yet He sends them....frogs?!
How Warm Is Your Blood?
At the core of idolatry lurks a reptilian coldness to life. (“Parsha Perks” with Dr Michael Chighel | Va’era)
Pharaoh's Repentance
An Essay on Parshat Va'eira
It can be a great accomplishment for a person to admit, “I have sinned this time.” But there is a higher level, where a person’s soul searching moves him to such a degree that he declares, “G-d is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.”
The Real Reason for the Ten Plagues
The ultimate purpose was that the departing Israelites would learn an eternal message that would resound for generations.
Staff, Serpent and Scattered Sparks
What’s the significance of the staff turning into a serpent, then back to a staff, and swallowing all the others in the process?
How Much Is G-d Involved in Our Lives?
Our journey has value—not merely as a means to a greater end, but in and of itself.
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