This article was originally posted at my blog.



It recently occurred to me that if you want to really understand someone, listen carefully to what they complain about.



In parashas Beha'aloscha the Jewish people show their true colours by voicing their nostalgic longing for free handouts.



Following that, the… Continue

Moses is given his charge to free the Children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. He sets off on his mission and doesn't get very far at the first shot. In fact his arrival on the scene makes things a lot worse for the Israelite slaves. As we turn our attention towards Pesach, it's worth reflecting on how their journey to freedom is played out on an individual level throughout our lives.

As a response to the demand to "…

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Purim is somehow connected to Yom Kippur - in the Torah it is called Yom Hakippurim and the play on words is not lost on the Rabbis. They say that in a sense, Yom Kipur is a yom k'Purim, meaning a day like Purim, so in some way Purim is seen as a paradigm of something that Yom Kipur emulates. What's that all about? On the face of it, the two days couldn't be more different. Purim is all body and Yom Kipur is all soul.…

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Yesterday, I wrote with horror about my first hand experience of mishloach manos madness (click on the link to view the article if you haven't yet read it).

I ended with a call to action for community rabbis and the leading rabbis of the nation to show proactive leadership and do all within their power to put an end to this terrible practice. Today, I'd like to show you that there's a fine halakhic tradition that dates back to…

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From the rather odd way that the Torah describes the placement of the Shulchan and the Menorah, I think we can gain some perspective on the struggle between the needs of body and soul in Judaism, as well as a way to understand a Mishna in Avos.

Click here for the full article: Terumah, Torah and the Table

Lo Taamod Al Dam Re'echa! Enough of this Purim madness.

I'm really angry. I've just seen something that makes my heart break and my blood boil.

Rabbis of the neighbourhood, Rabbis of the nation, you have to do something about this.

I was in the supermarket a few minutes ago. I waiting in line while a lady was passing her items through. She was very modestly dressed, both in the frum sense and also in the sense that suggested a truly humble…

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