… The Jews finally leave Egypt. The sea splits. The Jews are saved. And the Egyptians drown. (Exodus, 13:17-15:22) We’ll come back to it. … But things don’t go so smoothly after that. There’s nothing to drink. The water is bitter. And the Jews complain to Moshe. “Where’s the water”! Moshe turns to G-d. And […]

Hi, I hope you had a meaningful Yom Kippur. …The Holidays are over?  Right? Wrong! The Holiday of Succot starts Wednesday night. I think it’s sad that almost everyone “does Yom Kippur.” But many don’t know about Succot.  They did the fasting and the praying.  But won’t do the celebration. Succot is called, “the time […]

Hi, Sorry I missed you yesterday. Believe me! I enjoy this much more than two hours at the dentist! … Jacob is about to be confronted by Esau. But not so fast. First, Jacob had a very mysterious experience.  (Genesis, 32:23-32) He had taken his family and his possessions across the river. And was now […]

Hi, Hope you had a great Passover. It’s great to be back! I thought I would discuss something that may remind us of the holiday. Food! … Noah survives the great flood. The work of rebuilding the world begins. And G-d tells Noah some very fundamental moral and spiritual ideas. But among them, we find […]

Hope you’re having a great day. Here’s something that may get lost in the “Adam and Eve” story. … Clothing. Not something we get very philosophical about. When we get dressed in the morning, it’s much too early for deep thinking! But in Judaism, clothing is very significant.  Has a spiritual purpose. How do we […]

Hope you’re having a great day! Here’s a little quiz. What’s the first thing G-d says to Adam, the first human being? And no peeking! Many people would say, “I know that one!” “Don’t eat the apple.”  (Actually, since Jewish tradition does not identify the forbidden fruit as an apple, we should probably say that […]

Hope you’re having a great day! Adam is placed in the Garden of Eden.  Spiritual Paradise. We’re told that G-d planted trees in the garden. “Trees that were pleasant to look at and good to eat.”  (Genesis: 2:9) It’s interesting. Trees that produce fruit?  That makes sense. Even in the Garden of Eden you need […]