The Support or Just a Supporter?
This week's Lifeline is dedicated by Patrick Carrera in memory of his son, Mattisyahu, who recently passed away in a car accident on December 8, 2010. May his family have a speedy recovery. If someone knocked on our door collecting money for the homeless throughout...
Overheard at the Library…
Shmuel Yosef ("Shai") Agnon was both a Nobel laureate in literature as a writer of modern Hebrew fiction, as well as an observant Jew. A story, attributed to him, begins with him eating in the Hebrew University library -- according to the story, this was permitted...
We Get By With A LOT of Help From Hashem
The Jewish people found themselves at the mouth of the sea, with Pharoah and his army closing in on them. At that moment, gripped with fear, seeing no other alternative, they cried to G-d for help (Ex.14:10). "They embraced the expertise of their fathers" (Rashi's...
A Spark of the Divine
While the Jewish nation began with such illustrious figures as the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs, the Jews in Egypt began a spiritual descent after the passing of Jacob's children. In the beginning of this week's Torah Portion, G-d instructs Moses to approach the Jews...
Our Scarcest Resource
When I login each morning, I get a pop-up with news (or purported news) stories. So when I sat down to do my work, I was offered the opportunity to read "10 reasons why I don't want an iPad" for the holidays. I am very involved with high tech, of course, and don't own...
Chai Anniversary II
In this week's reading, our Patriarch Yaakov blesses his children. He is also the first to adopt a child, as it were: "Ephraim and Menashe, like Reuven and Shimon will be mine" [48:5] -- Yoseph's two eldest children were then counted as Tribes of Israel. Extending the...
Single Light That Brightens the World
In the news this week, Japanese researchers have invented a tiny kinetic generator, about the size of a pencil tip, that generates 20 times more power than anything else that size. Powered by vibrations, it could lead to cellphones and similar pocket-sized devices...
Give Evil a Reason to Celebrate!
Our world is one of many challenges -- of that, there is no doubt. Interpersonal conflict, the temptation to be dishonest or to act improperly, physical threats to one's well being -- the challenges abound! To well-meaning people who seek to help others and live...
Understanding Jacob’s Deception
The Torah describes the personality of Jacob as "a pure man." Some may find this surprising, since the Torah also describes Jacob tricking his father into giving him the blessings intended for Esau, and for devising a system through which he became wealthy at his...
For Goodness Sake
When unexpected guests arrive at Abraham's tent, the Torah repeatedly emphasizes his hurry to serve them: "He ran to greet them... Abraham rushed to the tent... he said, 'Hurry!'... Abraham ran to the cattle..." This is the Torah's description of a 99-year-old man,...
The Comfort Zone
In this week's reading, our forefather Abraham is told to leave home. He is to journey to the Promised Land, where, G-d promises, Abraham will grow to be a great nation. But as we know, the Nation of Israel only develops after most of the intervening years are spent...
Noah and the Carwash
I don't think I'm alone in feeling a sense of newness this week. The High Holidays and the subsequent 9-day holiday of Succos/Shemini Atzeres-Simchas Torah -- all grouped, in the Al-mighty's wisdom, at the beginning of the Jewish year -- have been a spiritual...
