The Bible talks about all types of Tzara’at (leprosy) including Tzara’at that inflicts buildings. The Torah relates, ‘God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying: when you arrive to the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I will place Tzara’at affliction upon a house in the…
Love at First Sight: Does It Exists?
My friend David seemed very excited. “Rabbi,” he said to me, “I need you to help me.” Without skipping a beat he continued, “I met my Bashert (preordained soul mate) last night and I want to make a blessing: tell me the correct one to say.” He proceeded to tell…
Is organized religion good for you?
We humans can be destructive to ourselves. Many people live unhealthy lifestyles because it gives them short-term enjoyment, ignoring the long-term suffering it causes. The same thing applies to religion. It has now, yet again, been proven that religion and belief in God make us happier and better equipped to…
The Fall of Bear Stearns Was Predicted in The Torah
The markets have been very volatile lately and according to most experts the United States has entered a recession. All of this uncertainty and financial difficulties is a result of the credit crises that was sparked by the collapse of the subprime mortgage market. On Monday of this week everything…
A Botched Job yet So Full of Meaning
Ki Tisa was my Bar Mitzvah portion. It always brings back memories of the most embarrassing experience of my life and simultaneously the cause of the most important lesson I have ever learned. As a rebellious twelve-year-old, I refused to go to Bar Mitzvah lessons. Instead I insisted that I…
Maybe Obama Really Does Get It!
Israel is yet again embroiled in a war that was completely predictable and arguably avoidable if proper foresight had been exercised and if the ill-fated disengagement from Gaza had not led to the inevitable installation of a Hamas regime. At present, however, Israelis and Americans stand by the principle that…
Seeing Failure as Emancipation: The Second Set of Tablets
Below is an excerpt from Rabbi Levi Brackman's upcoming book: "Jewish Wisdom for Business Success" that relates to this weeks' Torah portion Vayakhal which begins with what Moses did upon descending the Mountain with the second set of Tablets. As Moses came down the mountain and saw the Israelites performing pagan…
Saying, I am sorry
The Law of a thief is discussed at the end of this week’s Torah portion: ‘He shall return the robbed item that he robbed. or anything about which he had sworn falsely _ he shall repay (its principle) the value of the stolen item adding (its fifth) a fifth of…
Mosaic Negotiating Techniques
This week’s Torah portion talks about the sin of the golden calf. Moses had ascended Mount Sinai to receive instructions from God and the two tablets of the covenant known in Hebrew as the luchot habrit. Moses was supposed to have been away for forty days and forty nights. However,…