Dear Readers,

In this week’s Torah portion, we read about the daughters of Tzelafchad and how they petitioned Moses to grant them an inheritance in the land of Israel since their father had died and had no sons.

The Chassidic masters explain that each of the forty-two legs of the journey from Egypt to the Holy Land reflects another generation and stage in our world history. The incident...

When packing your suitcase for a trip, don’t let your shoes get your clothes dirty. Wrap the sole of each shoe in a shower cap (a plastic bag also works) to keep your clothes clean.

My mother is always trying to understand what motivates people, especially those in her family. One day she and my sister were talking about one relative’s bad luck.

“Why do you think she left her job?” she asked my sister. “Maybe she has a subconscious desire not to succeed.”

“Or maybe it just happened,” responded my sister, exasperated. “Do you know that you analyze everything to death?”

Mother was silent for a moment. “That’s true,” she said. “And why do you think I do that?”