Parshah Columnists

I tried to explain to my friend how people react to grief and mourning differently. Looking back, I wish I could take back my words. In a misguided attempt to make her “feel better” or “fix the situation,” I was negating her emotions.

So we’ve come to realize the subtle but potentially dire effects on our food, but do we ever consider our food’s spiritual “profiles”? Does the food or drink that we consume affect us on a spiritual plane, on a soul level, influencing our character and natural tendencies?

Even the uninformed are regarded as “pure” during the major festivals. Why?

Judaism isn’t only for the spiritual-minded or for those who more easily connect to the experience.

The holy Zohar states, “Weeping is lodged in one side of my heart, and joy is lodged in the other.”

Moments of recognition of the Divine. Gentle, almost imperceptible. But real.

The physical symbols of kosher animals represent spiritual characteristics.

Cain killed Abel in a fit of jealousy. The enmity between Isaac and Ishmeal endures to this very day. Jacob and Esau. Joseph and his brothers. Finally, we have Moses and Aaron...

Why single out the poor pig? Halachically, a cheeseburger is actually “worse!”

Don’t feel guilty. You meant well, and that in itself deserves credit.

Lessons on Torah commentary and Jewish creativity on the topic of applying the ancient to the contemporary.

Isn’t religion just another way to feel safe?

It was precisely because Aaron did not seek power or prestige that he was chosen to a position of leadership. Now try telling that to our wannabee politicians…

Why is a "kind" bird included amongst the forbidden fowl?

It would be absurd to think that G-d gave us the Torah as a sort of bandage for His mistakes. "Oops! I didn't mean to put those nasty animals there! People might eat them! What do I do now?"

Have you ever closed a deal, celebrated your marriage (or its anniversary), or simply spent time with a good friend—without eating something together? Why do our teeth, gullet and stomach figure so prominently in who, how, where and with whom we are?

It should have been a day of joy. But tragedy struck.