365Shorts

In the first pesukim of this reading, we have three forms of water supporting vegetation. But in the middle of these three forms, we see storm winds attacking it. The storm winds stick out. Rashi says they help vegetation grow and be strong – but they don’t really do this. Rashi was a vinter (a… Continue reading Haazinu

Avraham splits the wood before leaving. On the one hand this shows a tremendous level of conscientiousness. He seems to be making sure the offering faces no hickups. On the other, surely there will be wood closer to mountain. Why doesn’t he just bring Yitzchak, a knife, some fire and an ax and hop on… Continue reading Rosh Hashana Day Two

I’ve been struggling with what the proper U.S. response should be to the crises in Syria. Both obvious answers (intervention or not) leave a tremendous amount to be desired. I will assume the readers of this thought are well informed and spare them the recap. I do, however, highly recommend the work of Michael Totten. He… Continue reading Syria – Sept 3, 2013

Every year for the past 19 years, I have written an annual Yom Kippur greeting. Yom Kippur is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar and part of our New Year cycle. This year’s greeting is below. For the more traditional among you, I’ve attached a Rosh Hashana (New Year’s) card for your… Continue reading Nineteenth Annual Yom Kippur Greeting

There are many paths through the Days of Awe. In the first verse of this reading, we see Sarah providing the ultimate example of being held to account. In the first verse of this reading. Hashem pakads Sarah. This is often translated as ‘remembered,’ but it is closer to being selected or accounted for. Sarah… Continue reading Rosh Hashana Day One

The heroin gangs in Garubia are seriously violent operations. They operate on the same basic wavelength as I do – there isn’t enough to go around. But instead of creating a tinpot gang of orphaned kids, they determine their membership in a more time-honored way; by family. It is why my parents’ marriage caused so… Continue reading Chapter Two

Gods are described as being chelek – assigned. It is a word we use with the inheritance of the land. We get our portion (chelek) in the land. The chelek of gods connects to the prior portion – we are assigned Hashem and can see, hear and feel like no other people. They are assigned wood and… Continue reading Nitzavim-Vayelech

You might have heard about my car. It is a pretty fun story in retrospect. Here’s what happened. My brother, my girlfriend and a salesperson of ours were driving down to Philadelphia. We were going down South Street in Weston, MA (this street leads from Brandeis U to the MassPike) when I saw a pipe… Continue reading The Day the Car Blew Up (non-fiction)

Every year for the past 18 years, I have written an annual Yom Kippur greeting. Yom Kippur is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar and part of our New Year cycle. Prior to the holiday, we examine ourselves. We search ourselves for sins – sins to beg forgiveness for, sins to repair, and sins to eliminate from our futures.… Continue reading Eighteenth Annual Yom Kippur Greeting

Every year for the past 17 years, I have written an annual Yom Kippur greeting. Yom Kippur is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar and part of our New Year cycle. Prior to the holiday, we examine ourselves. We search ourselves for sins – sins to beg forgiveness for, sins to repair, and sins to eliminate from our futures.… Continue reading Seventeenth Annual Yom Kippur Greeting