Parsha

God just promised Abraham the land. Why is it that, though God keeps reassuring that this land is his, he refuses to settle down?

Listening to your biblical partner's voice

A society in which nobody cares about a person who falls down and dies, but mourns a stone that falls, is a society that has a problem; it cares more about physical progress than human life.

Why is there is no mention of dinosaurs, and other prehistoric animals, in the Torah?

There is a supernatural/metaphysical element to Nature, which we can ignore for long periods of time--Until we can’t,

Wishing you a great start to a great new year. Shana Tova!

The message is clear - there really is no such thing as a quiet day.

Stung by the splendor of a sudden thought. -Robert Browning

Why is the status or identity of this seemingly central tree not mentioned before Adam sinned. Was it permitted at that time or forbidden?

People of my acquaintance often treat belief as a sort of Pascal’s wager. As you may recall, Blaise Pascal, the seventeenth century mathematician, said...

The revolutionary sukkah--

Time is not what you think. Dying? Not the end of everything. We think it is. But what happens on earth is only the beginning. -Mitch Albom

Moshe is about to pass away, Ari says, and leaves the nation one message: "Take responsibility!" Moshe focuses on the nation. This is the message Ari lived and left us with.

As it turned out, Mordy and Yissachar were the very last people who wanted to go on the zipline that day. Mordy went first and had a great time until…

Moses is warning us, in what was meant to be a song to be remembered throughout our history, to stay far away from all forms of idolatry--regardless of shape or ideology

Wishing that everyone will be remembered for life.

This week's parsha presents us with an example that balances the need to guard information with the need to reveal it on some level.

An inspired and inspiring list of "SHOULDS" for Elul--and the whole year

No matter how hard we work on ourselves, we can never be totally prepared for the challenges ahead. And that is actually a good thing. Not only would life be less interesting, but a great deal of its meaning would otherwise be taken away. As Rebbe Nachman said, “If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?”

Our repentance can retroactively cleanse the spiritual ledger. It can wipe the slate clean and allows us to start our spiritual accounting anew, refreshed, rejuvenated.

The more we realize our obligation to Hashem, the greater the joy will be when we fulfill that obligation.

l the parshiyot we read during Elul serve as reminders for how we can fix and improve our lives before the coming new year. The opening verses of each of these parshiyot point toward the direction we should go

Terumah thanks kohanim for their service and supports them (more so than bikkurim, which were a smaller percentage of the crop). It makes sense to allow each Jew to choose recipients, to thank him or them for all they’ve done.

We glorify God, not in numbers, but in expansiveness. We too, are bringing our First Fruits when we're not busy battling each other over what is ours or who speaks the truth. Our Bikkurim begin with affording room for people to explore and grow.

The Kobriner Rav says (mentioned in the Nesivos Shalom-Elul), if you want to become holy, if you want to begin doing teshuva, you must start with Shabbos.

The area in life which is most difficult to a person is why he was sent down to Earth. Man was sent here to overcome the tendency which bothers him the most. It takes a lifetime to overcome these issues, and that's why God gave us a lifetime.

Sports or Judaism--two top athletes made the right decision

Since not saying lashon hara is easier said than done, here is something to help you: Just remember what happened to Miriam!”

The wise Sages declared that every individual is related to himself! In fact, we are our own closet relative, even more than our own parents and children.

the Talmud explains that a judge must not take a bribe even if it is in order to acquit the innocent and accuse the guilty. Accepting a bribe is wrong even if the verdict issued is ultimately correct!