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 Scholar and the Merchant
Stories We Tell: Whatever You Do, Don't Bite Off the Pitom
Stories We Tell: Don't Apologize to Me, Apologize to Him
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Shof’tim: Demanding Justice
At the core of being Jewish is a fundamental demand for justice. Demanding justice involves asking others to work toward a more just world, but it also involves asking ourselves to do that work.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Ki Teitzei: The Morality of War
Ki Teitzei translates to “when you go out,” but it doesn’t mean going out to dinner or the movies.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Ki Tavo: Spiritual Centering
Hasket, which translates to silence or stillness, is a word that appears in the Torah only once, during this week's Parasha, Ki Tavo.