Imagine that you are about to receive one of the biggest pieces of news in your life. Maybe it is the results from a medical test or the sex of your unborn child. Perhaps you are waiting on a college decision or results from a big job interview. I wonder, is this the type of news that you want to hear alone, or would you rather be surrounded by the people that know and love you? Read more...

One common way in which Jews think about the differences between Judaism and Christianity is that Christianity requires one to affirm beliefs while Judaism requires us to act in specific ways. Both of these are, of course, exaggerations, for Evangelical Christians, for example, know that when they think about how to act, they are supposed to ask WWJD – What would Jesus do? Furthermore, based on sayings of Jesus, Christians commonly presume that they are bound by the Torah’s commandments included in the Decalogue and in the commandments to love God and love your neighbor. Read more...

According to a popular Talmudic tale, a stranger once approached Hillel and Shammai, the great sages of the first century, with a request: "Teach me the Torah while I stand on one foot." First, he brought the request to Shammai. According to the Talmud, Shammai picked up a builder's rule, smacked him alongside his head and dismissed him. So he came to Hillel. "Teach me the Torah on one foot." Hillel taught him: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. Read more...

In honor of Tu B’Shevat, I returned to tractate Rosh Hashana of the Talmud. On page 14a and b, the Rabbis discuss the New Year of the Trees and deliberate whether the date is the 1st of Shevat or the 15th of Shevat for the New Year. Amongst the discussion is a conversation about when the majority of rainfall had concluded, as thus the time in which much of the development of the new fruits of tree would have been concluded. This type of detailed conversation about the working of agriculture can be found in many places in Talmud. Read more...

It is close to four a.m. and along with thousands of people I am walking, almost running, towards the Kotel on Shavu'ote morning. It is still dark out, the air still cold and a sense of urgency swirling all around. Like ants making their way out of their hole, so too we squirm our way out of the batei midrash (study halls) and homes where we had spent the night learning. Preparing to receive the Torah. For many years this was the path of the journey. Read more...