Parshas Chukas is a Parasha discussing laws that we don’t necessarily understand. One of those laws is the Parah Adumah (the red heifer). Shlomo Hamelech, the wisest person who ever lived, himself failed to understand the concept of the Parah…
Judaism, Torah
Chukas – Hitting the Rock – What Was So Bad? Different Generations and Being Out of Touch
by Rafael (Rafi) Hecht • • 0 Comments
Parashas Chukas, like the name, mostly talks about Chukim, laws not necessarily with reason. These were laws that, no matter what, we still had to do them. This in many ways reflects the degree of Emunah of the “new” generation…
Judaism, Torah
Korach, Sinas Chinam, and Modern-day Assimilation
by Rafael (Rafi) Hecht • • 0 Comments
In Parashas Korach we saw that Korach and his followers tried to instigate a rebellion against Moshe Rabeinu. In one example we see him and his male followers wearing garments soaked in Techeles blood, then asking Moshe if such a…
Israel, Judaism
Women of/off the Wall – Some Facts
by Rafael (Rafi) Hecht • • 0 Comments
The Jewish media in general has seemed to give a lot of free press to a small group of Jewish feminist meshugennas called Women of the Wall. This is a group that is bent on disturbing long-accepted traditions and practices…
Israel, Judaism
Israel Enforcing Haredim Into Army Service – My Personal Take
by Rafael (Rafi) Hecht • • 0 Comments
There’s been a huge brouhaha about the State of Israel enforcing mandatory military conscription for Haredi students. While there is reason to be concerned about Tal Law possibly being revoked, I don’t feel that this alone should be a reason…
Judaism, Torah
Korach and Applied Skepticism
by Rafael (Rafi) Hecht • • 0 Comments
We just finished this past week reading about Korach’s rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu. There is an argument about whether or not he was right in everything he said against Moshe, i.e. the Kohan Gadol status, the Techeles garment, etc. In…
Judaism, Torah
Mr. Tamir Goodman – Interview with the Jewish Jordan
by Tamir Goodman • • 0 Comments
Part 1 – Discovering Personal Talents Tamir Goodman, a.k.a. The Jewish Jordan, shares stories from his early life when he discovered his unique love and talent for basketball. From joining high school practices to powering through tough injuries, Tamir showed…
Judaism, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, Torah
Parshas Korach – A Do It Yourself Guide On How To Avoid Machlokes
by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum • • 0 Comments
The classic all-time example of a machlokes is certainly the machlokes of Korach v’adaso. A group of 250 very prominent people, all heads of Sanhedrin, are led astray by the brilliant Korach and incited to fight none other than Moshe Rabbeinu. It’s very difficult for us…
Judaism, Torah
The Veracity of Torah – Rabbi/Professor Leib/Lawrence Kelemen
by Rafael (Rafi) Hecht • • 0 Comments
Truly a work of art, Rabbi Kelemen’s speeches have truly inspired Jews for over 2 decades. A Baal Teshuva and graduate of Harvard, he makes compelling arguments to most things he says. Certainly worth watching.
Judaism, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, Torah
Intelligent Design
by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum • • 0 Comments
Science must be based on reason and logic. If a scientist were to read an encyclopedia he would certainly assume that it was written by a very intelligent person and was not the result of an accidental spillage of some…
Judaism, Torah
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan ztl with Dr. Russell Barber
by Rafael (Rafi) Hecht • • 0 Comments
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan & Dr. Russell Barber discuss Jewish Mysticism on The First Estate broadcast on WNBC-TV channel 4 in 1979. Recorded on a VHS tape. Being that Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan passed away the year I was born (1983) I…
Judaism, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, Torah
How To Avoid Machlokes
by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum • • 0 Comments
The classic all-time example of a machlokes is certainly the machlokes of Korach v’adaso. A group of very great people – heads of Sanhedrin – are led astray by the brilliant Korach and are incited to fight none other than…
Judaism, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, Torah
Honesty Is The Best Policy
by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum • • 0 Comments
Every crooked deal and every violent incident seems to grab the headlines while acts of honesty and kindness usually go unreported. Perhaps if newspapers would publicize and emphasize acts of righteousness and civility then people would be inspired to act…
Judaism, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, Torah
Hold On To Your Money
by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum • • 0 Comments
Only the most naive person would believe the stranger who offers to sell him the Brooklyn Bridge-cheap! But, as they say,” a sucker is born every minute,” and reality seems to bear it out! The ease with which con artists…
Judaism, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, Torah
History Repeats Itself
by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum • • 0 Comments
We ‘re told that “Maaseh avos siman l’bonim” – that which happened to our Fathers is a sign of what will happen to their children. Those who’ve studied the story of Yaakov’s dealings with Lavan Ho’arami, the world’s master cheater…