On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah -- Tol'dot: Who Will Carry Our Tradition Forward?
Many of us know the story of Jacob and Esau, the brothers who could not be more different from one another.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah -- Tzav: Courageous Choices
This week's Torah portion, Parashat Tzav, is read around Purim, a story of mythic (and even improbable) proportions that remains enduringly relevant to Jewish Diaspora life and anti-Jewish persecution throughout the centuries.
Stories We Tell: Ezra's Sparkle
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah -- Sh'mini: The Dangers and the Neccessity of Innovation
In this week's Torah portion, Parashat Sh'mini, we learn about the sudden deaths of Nadav and Avihu, two sons of Aaron the High Priest. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch wrote that their sin was innovation.
Stories We Tell: The Miser's Slippers
Stories We Tell: The Samovar
Stories We Tell: Where is Your Target?
Stories We Tell: How to Give a Blessing
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - D’varim: Why Tragedies Happen, and How to Respond
Parashat D’varim is the first portion of the Book of Deuteronomy, and this year it is read just before Tishah B’Av – a day that, throughout Jewish history, has been one of tragedy and destruction.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Balak: The Beauty of Humility
Parashat Balak’s accompanying Haftorah portion features the famous verse: “God has told you what is good and what the Eternal requires of you only to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” For many, if you wanted to distill Jewish trad