by Mordechai Dixler | May 10, 2012 | Lifeline
As mentioned previously, the 50 days between the holidays of Passover and Shavuos are known as the time of “Counting the Omer.” Today is the 33rd day of the count, the holiday of Lag B’Omer, which is notable for two reasons. Twenty-Four thousand...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | May 4, 2012 | Lifeline
On Monday, Paul Miller, a Senior Editor at a “technology-focused news publication” called The Verge, announced that he was quitting the Internet for a year. He’s switched to a “dumb” phone, and has pledged to neither use the Internet nor...
by Mordechai Dixler | Apr 27, 2012 | Lifeline
One finds an interesting theme in regards to the Metzora, one physically stricken with the spiritual disease of Tzara’as which causes blemishes to appear on skin, clothing, or the walls of the home. The word “Metzora”, the Talmud writes, can be...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Apr 20, 2012 | Lifeline
This week, I cannot refer to “this week’s reading” and be universally accurate. The Torah portion read this week in Israel is “out of sync” with the rest of the world, a phenomenon that will continue for another month. This is because...
by Mordechai Dixler | Apr 4, 2012 | Lifeline
In just a few days Jewish families around the world will recount the story of the Exodus from Egypt. At the center of the Haggadah, Passover’s universal guidebook, is the raising of the wine glasses in recognition of G-d’s promise to Abraham to redeem the Jews...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Mar 23, 2012 | Lifeline
Just the first word of this week’s Torah reading contains a beautiful lesson. That word is VaYikra, “and he called,” referring to G-d calling to Moses. Vayikra indicates a connection between the two parties, whereas without the final Aleph,...
