Before entering the land of Israel, the Jewish people asked to send in spies to understand the challenges they would face as they conquer the promised land. Moses sent twelve spies, all respected representatives of each of the twelve tribes. Among them were the...

G-d blessed the Jewish people with the miraculous Manna to collect each morning as they traveled and camped in the desert. Most, of course, were grateful for this daily sustenance, literally a gift from Heaven, but many of them complained. "If only we had meat! We...

One day Jack noticed his friend Bob, happily jumping up and down on a manhole cover, shouting, "Twenty-three! Twenty-three!" Bewildered by his friend's behavior, he asked him, "Why, Bob, are you so happy to be jumping on a manhole cover?" His friend replied, "Oh, I...

Saturday night begins the holiday of Shavuos, the day when we received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. There is a common custom, observed in many Jewish communities, to spend all of Shavuos night awake, studying Torah, preparing to receive it in the morning. This custom...

The majority of this week's reading is devoted to G-d's warning of severe curses that will come upon the Jewish nation, if it acts with disregard for the laws of the Torah. As these curses come from a loving G-d, they stem from a place of love, and are a warning...

Last November, the doors of an armored truck popped open as it was traveling on a San Diego freeway, dumping bags of cash onto the road. Traffic came to a halt as eager drivers abandoned their cars to scoop up the "free" money. Many handed in their windfalls as...