Why Death? The law in this week’s parsha concerning a wayward son seems absurd and horrific. “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey the voice of his father and the voice of...
Albert Einstein was the first modern-day celebrity and, decades after his death, still has the world’s most recognizable face. His influence is seen in much of the technology we use every...
Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, the “Comic Book Rabbi” is a best-selling author and speaker. He has appeared on CNN Showbiz Tonight and NPR, and has been pro- filed in leading publications, including...
A male child’s first haircut is called an upsherin, which is taken from the German words “sherr” (cut) and “up” (off). It is also called chalakah. The mitzvah accomplished by cutting the hair is forming peyos on the child. The Chinuch...
INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 sticks margarine 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cup brown sugar 3 eggs 3/4 cup flour Dash of salt 1/2 cup chocolate chunks DIRECTIONS This rich fudgy brownie is made with brown butter (or in...
This week’s parsha opens with the pasuk, “Shoftim v’shotrim titen lecha b’chol sh’arecha, Appoint judges and officers in all your gates.” (Devarim 16:18) The Torah is instructing the Jewish nation to appoint judges and officers in...
In this week’s parsha, we are commanded to adhere to the teachings of the Jewish Court: “According to the teaching that they will teach you and according to the judgment they will say to you, shall you do;...
I. Forbidden Images With Barbie in the news, it is an opportunity to discuss the halachic implications of Barbie dolls. From the perspective of hashkafah, there is much to discuss about the unrealistic body dimensions of Barbie dolls and...
It is told that in 1957, a large edifice in Tibet needed to be relocated, and so all the furniture, including a large, ancient clay statue, had to be moved. As the people were carrying this...
Parashat Shoftim begins with the command to appoint judges throughout the land: “Shoftim Ve’shoterim Titen Lecha.” While the simple meaning of this Pasuk is that it refers to courtroom judges, there is also an additional level of interpretation. The...