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 […]

Happy Purim eve. I’m already into the spirit of Purim! It’s the happiest day in the Jewish calendar. What’s the last thing that would come to mind when we think Purim? Yom Kippur. Two opposites. But Jewish tradition says that there’s a connection. What do Yom Kippur and Purim have in common? They are both […]

Hope you’re having a great day. We just returned from New York where my wife spent the Shiva mourning period for my father-in-law, of blessed memory. Thanks to all that sent condolences.  We really appreciated it! And may we only share happy news.   We’re about to begin the “Garden of Eden” story. I wanted […]

Hope you’re having a great day. One last thought before we start the “Garden of Eden” story. Yesterday we discussed the Torah’s second description of the creation of man. The story is introduced with a very interesting verse. “On the day that G-d made earth end heaven.” Earth and heaven? That doesn’t sound right! Almost […]

Hope you’re having a great day. “And G-d formed the man of dust from the ground.  And He blew into his nostrils the soul of life.” (Genesis: 2:7) The creation of man? Haven’t we done that already? (1:26) Why is it repeated? If you took “Bible” in college, you may have heard “the answer.” That […]

Today’s minute? More about ‘G-d created man in the Divine Image’. … It’s a powerful Jewish concept. And one of the most important ideas that Judaism brought to the world. For many reasons. … Think of ancient Greece. Of their religion and mythology. They had ‘Gods’ with every possible shortcoming. Lust. Jealousy. Anger. You name […]

Well, by now, I think we all know how many verses the Torah spends on the Creation Story. Thirty one!  (It’s not a bad trivia question to try on your friends!) Here’s a note from a member of our group. “Thirty one verses seems kind of short, considering it is Creation!  It got me thinking: […]

Hope you’re having a great day. We’ve been discussing how the Torah’s account of Creation is not designed to tell us how G-d created the world.  But that He did.  And that in the space of only 31 verses, the Torah makes other important points that we should know. We are told that G-d created […]

Hi, and welcome to our new daily virtual Torah study. I hope you are as excited as I am! Let’s start with a brief introduction to the Torah. What it is and what it’s not. … First, the Torah is not a history book. The history it presents is very incomplete. Sometimes it will go […]