When a farmer is hit by a drought, or a destructive flood, this causes collateral damage to the market that buys his produce, and that sells him supplies. A disruption in one area of the supply chain disrupts all the other links in the chain... or so we think. The...

If your neighbor's car won't start, there's a special Mitzvah (commandment) to give him (or her) a boost, call a mechanic, or do whatever it takes to get the car working again. "Do not ignore your brother if you see that his ox or donkey's load has fallen. Pick up the...

"Be pure with G-d (Lev. 18:13)" — this is a beautiful expression, as well as a verse in this week's Torah portion. While it describes a lofty spiritual ideal, what does it mean in a practical sense? We've all met kind people. It's probably true that the majority of...

"If I were a rich man..." Would you like to become wealthy? The Torah offers a tried and tested, universally successful road to riches, and it is found in this week's reading. The Children of Israel are commanded to tithe their produce: "You shall surely tithe all the...

This week's Torah reading includes the second paragraph of the Shema, recited in our morning and evening prayers. This paragraph talks about reward and punishment, and how they are tied to our homeland, the Land of Israel: "And if you will surely listen to my...

"I recall the kindness of your youth, the love between us when you were a bride. Your following me into the desert, a land that was not planted (Jeremiah 2:3)." One would expect to hear these words of endearment, found in this week's Haftorah reading, at a time of...