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Parshah Columnists
105 items in this section
Guest Columnists
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![]() Too Important to Sin The very fact that G‑d decided that you should be born and placed you in this world with a mandate of Torah and mitzvot means that He has great belief in you.
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![]() Authentic Freedom Kedoshim
How could the newly liberated Jew know what his or her real self was? How could a recently freed slave understand his or her potential, much less how to actualize it?
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![]() Why Do Mitzvot? Ultimately, every answer is, in a sense, a correct answer
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![]() Where Do Ethics Come From? Should we clone people? Is there such a thing as a life not worth living? When is it correct to go to war? But the real question is: on what biases do we answer these ethical dilemmas?
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![]() The Gift of Forgiveness From my perspective as a family therapist, the greatest treasure in our Torah-inheritance is the instruction to free ourselves of anger and resentment...
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![]() Car Therapy Sometimes we mistakenly believe that negative behavior or language is only problematic when it hurts someone else. We think that we have a license to behave as we wish, as long as we keep it to ourselves.
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![]() The Torah on Dirty Words What is the Jewish stance on cursing and curse words? I’ve heard the line that our bodies are a temple, and that defaming G‑d’s name is very bad, but what about a little curse here or there when you are really mad?
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![]() Fake It Until They Make It? Can you simply call your
struggling business colleague a “success story” and expect him to perform?
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![]() The Effects of Emotional Trauma Robbing is akin to slaying someone, but if the aggressor has remorse we let him off the hook!?
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![]() Saintly or Simple? An Essay on Parshat Kedoshim
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![]() Can You Wait? The very first failing of the very first human beings was the desire for instant gratification. What is not so well known is that the fruit of the forbidden tree was not intended to be eternally prohibited . . .
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Weekly Sermonette
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![]() Who is Holy? Is it the mystic in the mountains, the monk in the monastery, or the guru in the garage? Judaism is certainly rich in spirituality; but how would it define 'holy'?
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![]() Spiritual vs. Holy Not everything spiritual is necessary holy, and not everything holy need be spiritual
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![]() Love Thy Shrek as Thyself So what if he's ugly and his mother dresses him funny? His soul is pure and untainted
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![]() Eternally Grateful What happens when a parent is aging ungracefully? What if they are becoming irritable, cantankerous and just plain difficult? Becoming old and forgetful isn’t pretty . . .
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![]() “Thou Shalt Not Be Judgmental” Hearing only half a conversation and drawing conclusions can be dangerous.
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Life's Passages
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![]() How in the World Can I Really Love Another as Myself? Kedoshim
Do I need to be blind to the faults of another?
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![]() How Can Men and Women Get Along? Kedoshim
Isn’t marriage between man and woman a violation of the laws of kilayim, which prohibit the intermixing of divergent species?
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For Friday Night
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![]() Restraint is Power Have you ever felt like losing your temper but at the last moment you managed to restrain yourself? Inner battles of this kind are often associated with traffic wardens and similar representatives of officialdom...
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![]() Turning Holiness Upside Down Why all this self-restraint? Why not just enjoy oneself, especially if one isn't transgressing any law? What is the problem?
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![]() The Central Teaching The idea that the entire Torah focuses around the theme of one's relationship with other people is quite striking
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![]() A Glimpse of Holiness We thus have three concepts: holiness, respect for parents and the Shabbat. These three ideas tell us something about the fundamental purpose and nature of the Jewish people . . .
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Reflections on the Parshah
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![]() Earning Children's Honor The devoted family, an anchorage amid confusion, is rapidly disappearing. It is time to return to the values which created bonds of respect between children and parents.
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Parshah Moment
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![]() All About Spirituality Truth is, when people say "spiritual" they mean abstract: a quest for the unnoticed, unstated, the uncommon. But spirituality, in that definition, is not something inherently good, worthy or desirable...
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Inner Stream
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![]() Finding Time Let’s face it, not all people are pleasant. Some people leave us wondering if we should continue making time for them or focus on things we enjoy.
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![]() Man and the Tree The Torah teaches that for the first three years the fruit of a newly planted tree is forbidden to us. The majority of Jews today no longer work in the agriculture, but we are all gardeners at heart
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![]() A Lifetime of Forward Steps "Try to reach Me but know that you really will." What a disheartening thought!
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![]() Is Asceticism a Jewish Value? What of the promise G‑d made to Abraham and delivered through Moses, that our ancestors would be freed from Egypt with great wealth? If austerity is the symbol of freedom, why did G‑d muddy their crystal purity with the burden of prosperity?
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Living through the Parshah
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![]() How to Give Good Advice What are the implications of the Torah’s cautionary remark about sensitivity towards a blind man? Personal liability is a topic that’s already been laid out in the Torah in graphic detail, so what’s the new mitzvah that G‑d is teaching us here?
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![]() Soul Sister I was feeling great before she walked into the room. She came in, our eyes met, and my joie de vivre started to deflate . . .
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What the Rebbe Taught Me
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![]() Weight Watchers The average thief’s deed consists of straightforward dishonesty and evil. The one with the false measures, on the other hand, is professing to the world that he is honest
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![]() G-d In Man's Image When "concession" is necessary for our relationship with G-d.
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Torah for Now
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![]() Don't Be Holy! Holiness is overrated, Kedushah is not
The things that are kodesh, "holy," are the ordinary events and stuff of life; remaining so, but separated from undesirable elements that would dilute and weaken them.
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What Do You Think?
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![]() But I Don’t Love Myself! How can I share something I don’t have? How can I accept another if I don’t accept myself? How can I “love my fellow as myself” if I don’t love myself?
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![]() The Tragic History of Molech Child Sacrifice In biblical times there were numerous false gods that were
popular in the ancient pagan societies, and, at times, among the Jewish people
as well.
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Parshah Messages
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![]() Compound Verses Some commandments share “verse space” with another mitzvah. It is interesting to analyze these “compound verses” to find the unifying thread. Rebuke and love . . . Love and revenge . . . Know, but remain silent . . .
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![]() The Off-Duty EMT Fiasco The EMTs told employees at the eatery to call 911 and then left when they were asked to help. The woman was eventually taken to a hospital, where she died a short time later...
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Weekly Torah
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![]() Brotherly Love The Talmud relates that one who came to Hillel and asked him to teach him the whole Torah whilst standing on one foot. Hillel replied 'What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the whole Torah - the rest is commentary..." Why did Hillel place so much emphasis on this particular precept?
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![]() From the Heart It is said that "Words that come from the heart, enter the heart." If the other person is not receptive to my message, this is a clear indication that my words are not coming from ‘the right place’
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Parshah Musings
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![]() Just Call To be a real Jew is to reach out to help others. Sympathy is nice, but that’s just the start of a long journey. The only way to find out what people need is through hard work and determination.
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![]() Blood Brothers What earthly resemblance do any of these comic book characters have to me or my lifestyle?
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![]() Save Me! Did you read about the quiet schoolboy who dived off a cliff fifteen times into an earthquake of burning buildings while standing in front of oncoming trains and wrestling with wild lions all to save three lost budgies?
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![]() Thank G-d! What do you reckon the most well known Jewish expression is? In my experience, when Jews want to demonstrate some knowledge or commitment to Judaism, they trot out "Baruch Hashem" – "Thank G‑d!
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![]() The Sage and the Rage When you make the decision to abandon your rage, no matter how justified, you exercise self-control and own your own emotions.
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Heaven Exposed
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![]() What's So Terrible About Idolatry? I don't mean massive temples with human sacrifices. What about a civilized idolater, in the privacy of his own home? What's so terrible?
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![]() How to Criticize and Other Thoughts On Love Criticizing another person is not out of the question. It's just that there are a few conditions to attend to before you start...
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![]() Because We're All One Ahavat Yisrael
If we are a religion, then some Jews are more Jewish, others less Jewish, and many not at all. Perhaps nothing has been as detrimental to the Jewish people as the modern idea that Judaism is a religion.
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Comment
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![]() Does G-d Want Us To Enjoy Ourselves? The message is mixed
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![]() Love Yourself How can we truly love another? Isn’t that a logical impossibility?
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![]() The Fifth Year Is it what we do, or why we do it? Do we enter life to play a part in a pre-established cosmic plan, or do we also have a role in defining the significance of our actions?
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![]() The Things You See In this world that G-d made, there are no tourists--just local residents. There are no fans in the bleachers--only players on the field. No audience--just actors
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Parshah Recovery
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![]() An Honest Measure Even if in actual practice, one only uses honest measures, the mere fact that he keeps with him another set of dishonest measurements already constitutes a certain duplicity of character.
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More Parshah Articles
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![]() Love: an Anthology Thirty two articles and stories on love: filial love, romantic love,
friendship, love of self, love of G-d -- so different from each other, yet somehow all the same
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![]() The Practical Implications of Infinity Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the essence of Jewish mysticism
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the essence of Jewish mysticism
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![]() What is Shatnez? Of all the ancient laws and customs of the Jews, one of the most mysterious is that of the law forbidding shaatnez.
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Covenant & Conversation
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![]() Love and Hate Understanding two different approaches to a single verse: the social vs. the interpersonal.
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![]() Followership Uncritical followership and habits of silent obedience give rise to the corruptions of power, or sometimes simply to avoidable catastrophes.
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![]() In Search of Jewish Identity What are we? What makes us Jewish? This has been one of the persisting debates about Jewish life ever since the nineteenth century.
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![]() From Priest to People Something fundamental happens at the beginning of this parsha and the story is one of the greatest, if rarely acknowledged, contributions of Judaism to the world.
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Beyond Speech
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![]() Honesty and Egypt What is the connection between honest
weights and measures, and the exodus from Egypt?
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![]() What Became Clear to Me When I Was Diagnosed With ALS It is unbelievable
how small and petty differences drive us apart.
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Torah Insights
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Other Parshas
- BOOK OF BERESHIT
- Bereshit
- Noach
- Lech Lecha
- Vayera
- Chayei Sarah
- Toldot
- Vayetze
- Vayishlach
- Vayeshev
- Miketz
- Vayigash
- Vayechi
- BOOK OF SHEMOT
- Shemot
- Va'era
- Bo
- Beshalach
- Yitro
- Mishpatim
- Terumah
- Tetzaveh
- Ki Tisa
- Vayakhel
- Pekudei
- BOOK OF VAYIKRAH
- Vayikra
- Tzav
- Shemini
- Tazria
- Metzora
- Acharei Mot
- Kedoshim
- Emor
- Behar
- Bechukotai
- BOOK OF BAMIDBAR
- Bamidbar
- Naso
- Behaalotecha
- Shelach
- Korach
- Chukat
- Balak
- Pinchas
- Matot
- Masei
- BOOK OF DEVARIM
- Devarim
- Va'etchanan
- Eikev
- Re'eh
- Shoftim
- Ki Teitzei
- Ki Tavo
- Nitzavim
- Vayelech
- Haazinu
- V'Zot HaBerachah
- DOUBLE READINGS
- Vayakhel-Pekudei
- Tazria-Metzora
- Acharei-Kedoshim
- Behar-Bechukotai
- Chukat-Balak
- Matot-Masei
- Nitzavim-Vayelech
- HOLIDAY READINGS
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Sukkot
- Shemini Atzeret
- Simchat Torah
- Chanukah
- Purim
- Passover
- Shavuot
- Shekalim
- Zachor
- Parah
- Hachodesh
- Rosh Chodesh
- Fast Days