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Guest Columnists

Being Vulnerable Is Being Strong
Our job is to learn from the experiences of others and not wait for total self-annihilation before asking for help.
The Harlot Who Discovered a Higher Satisfaction
What was a budding Torah scholar doing engaging in this kind of pleasure?
Moses vs. the Gaslighter
The people in the desert were being gaslit, and big time.
Defeating the Inner Defeatist
Who hasn’t been faced with a task and then spent needless amounts of time coming up with creative reasons why it’s going to be too hard?
How Did the Mission of the Twelve Spies Go So Wrong?
Moses felt that the Israelites had no reason to fear the inhabitants, as they had all seen the great miracles wrought against the much more powerful Egyptians.
Ma'apilim: The Little-Known Warriors Who Disregarded Moses
Moses warned that their campaign would be unsuccessful, but they were determined to enter the land.
Five Ways to Criticize More Effectively
We often mix compliments with criticisms and wonder why the listener is offended.
The 12 Spies (Meraglim) in the Bible
Numbers 13-14
The spies were tasked with going to the Promised Land and bringing back fruit and a report, which they did. Weren’t they just being honest, sharing their findings in good faith?
Spying on the Hippies
In the spring and summer of 1968, an influx of hippies descended on Boston’s most famous public park, the Common, setting up mini-farms and tent colonies throughout the 50-acre park.
The Secret of Challah
Separating challah is one of the three commandments that are particularly related to women. Kabbalistically, this commandment teaches us how this relates to a woman's innate understanding and might.
The Kabbalah of the Tallit
The garment surrounds our body; the fringes hang off it. They represent the two aspects of G-d’s being: His true self that is totally beyond our grasp, and the tiny fraction of His being we can experience.
My Father's Tzitzit
After all, what could he teach a girl who got straight A’s in school and wanted to go to an Ivy League college? And yet, today, what I remember from college seems like a blur of intellectual trivia compared to the simple lessons of my father . . .
Be Tough, but Don’t Rush
The Torah teaches that if someone is sentenced to death, the exact location of the execution must be outside the city boundaries, very far from the courthouse. Why?
New and Improved
Ad campaigns tout redesigned, leaner and meaner corporate models. Many advertise their revamp by boldly adding the word "new" to their familiar name. What does the Torah say about renaming products: Is it remarkable or just marketing?
What the Three Definitions of Challah Taught Me
When we do good, lots of good, we may be lured into a sense of entitlement. I gave 20% to charity; I can now buy whatever I want with the rest, without regard for social responsibility. I volunteered at the school for two hours; I am now entitled to laze around for the rest of the week . . .
Upon a Timeless Tel
I’ll leave you room to err, says G‑d, because you will rebuild—grander, stronger and more beautiful edifices.
Got Dough?
The mystical dimension of challah
What could possibly be so important about separating a piece of dough that the Midrash states that it is the purpose of creation?
How Do You Deal With Change?
Feeling Like a Grasshopper
We Can Do It!
Life Lessons From the Parshah - Shelach
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