Category: Torah and Culture
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Pulse of the Parsha – Noach 5787 | Fruitarian, Famine, and the Fellow Jew
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When actor Ashton Kutcher prepared to play the role of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, he went to extreme lengths to inhabit the tech icon’s mind, including adopting Jobs’ famous, strict fruitarian diet, an extreme regimen consisting almost exclusively of raw fruits, nuts, and seeds obtained without harming the plant. However,…
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Pulse of the Parsha – Bereishis 5787 | Preach What You Practice: The Wealth of Wedlock
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In what may be a new twist on the age-old practice of marrying for money, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis recently reported that married couples aged 25-34 have net worth nine times that of single households of the same age[1]. The gap only widens with time: sociologist Brad…
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Rebbetzen’s Reflection Bereishis
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A Fresh Start This week we begin the next phase of our year: the post-chagim stretch, when we either return to our routines or take the opportunity to create new ones. New beginnings are a chance to refresh, reset, and start again. And this week, we literally start again as…
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Pulse of the Machzor – Simchas Torah 5787: Why Are These People Dancing with a Book?
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A similar version of this article was published in this week’s edition of the Jewish News. Someone who unwittingly wanders into an Orthodox synagogue on Simchas Torah night may wonder what they have stumbled into. Men of every age dance in tight, sweaty circles around the Torah scrolls, singing the…
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Rebbetzin’s Reflection Simchas Torah
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As we approach the end of our Chagim season, I think about the meaningful time we have spent in shul, the quality time we’ve enjoyed with family and friends, the festive meals, and the unique feeling of this time of year. We still look forward to what for many is…
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Pulse of the Machzor – Shabbos Shuva 5787: Nothing Is Neutral at the Defense Table
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Last week, when London-based Revolut, among the most popular of Europe’s digital “neo-banks,” was duped into handing over sensitive customer data to a scammer impersonating a government agency, the company was immediately thrust into crisis.[1] Standard business operations were frozen as executives scrambled into emergency war rooms to contain extortion…
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Pulse of the Parsha – Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5786 | Michigan Mussar: When the Goyim Get It
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Parshas Nitzavim predicts that when Am Yisrael is exiled, the goyim will explain why. On accepting the truth from any source — except when the source is a Michigan attorney general who gets it badly wrong.