The Rabbis teach that, ideally, one should light the menorah at the entrance to one’s house, so that the mezuzah is on the right of the doorway and the menorah […]
Judaism 101
The Harm of Passive Exposure You’re likely familiar with the Chanukah (Hannukah) story: The Syrian Greek tyrant, Antiochus, outlaws the practice of Judaism and forces our ancestors to worship the […]
Honesty Despite Deceit This week’s Torah reading tells us about the time Yaakov (Jacob) spent with his uncle, who was also his father-in-law, Lavan. Lavan hired Yaakov to be his […]
In the beginning of this week’s Torah reading, Esav (Esau) sold his first-born status to his brother Yaakov (Jacob), in exchange for a dish of lentils. The verse says that […]
When wet cement is poured, there’s a certain draw to etch something in it. Often people write their initials, in a metaphysical attempt to capture eternity and leave a legacy […]
The Final Test From God The Mishnah (Avos 5:3) says that our patriarch, Abraham, was handed ten major tests by God. Rabbeinu Yonah writes that the final test was an […]
The Snooze Function If you use an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning, or even in the afternoon, you’re probably familiar with a feature called, “snooze.” First […]
What Does God Want From Me Now? In this week’s Torah reading (17:1), God asks of Avraham Avinu (our patriarch Abraham) to walk in front of Him and be “complete.” […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz What went wrong?! Why did Hashem (God) bring such horrors to our nation on Simchat Torah, one of the happiest days of the […]
