We know less about Isaac than any of the other patriarchs. In the major events of his life he is acted upon – being bound for the Akedah and having Jacob steal the birthright by fooling Isaac in old age.…
Finding female empowerment in Judaism, Part I: The stories of the Bible
Judaism comes with a set of beautiful morals, including everything from making the world a better place to giving and donating. Another value I recently learned is very Jewish is female empowerment. Many tales of the Bible embody and exemplify…
D’var theory: The ancient and contemporary polymath
It often seems like one’s academic major in higher education is a blood-bound oath, and America’s culture of specialized labor promotes that stoicism in kind. Judaism by contrast touts the polymath, a person of wide-ranging knowledge or skill, as the…
Parashat Hayeh Sara: Maintaining our identity
The traditional Shabbat Torah reading this week is the section called Chayai Sora – our early history after the life of our matriarch Sora, or Sarah. We meet up with a number of key figures in the unfolding saga of…
Rabbi Menachem Schrader on Vayera: Maturation is a Part of the Experience
Rabbi Menachem Schrader studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion and Yeshiva University. He has a BA in Philosophy from YU, an MA in History from NYU, and received his Smicha from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. In the year 2000 he…
Taste of Torah: Vulcans, Kohanim and the “Thus shall you bless” in Nasso
photo by Alexander Mayer We are in Jerusalem in the year 600 BC. An old man walks up a narrow alley to speak to a scribe. As he looks up he can see the smoke rising from the holy alter in…
Making Time Count
Perhaps one of the most unique features characterizing Shavuot is the extensive ‘Omer’ count that leads up to the holiday. It’s fascinating that the Torah does not even prescribe a specific calendar date for Shavuot but simply positions it as…
Taste of Torah: Is Your Judaism Dead?
How much of the material you learned for your last midterm do you still remember? Studies say less than 10%. How come? You studied well. However, most of knowledge we acquire is superficial and does not connect to us on…
Taste of Torah: Man, Animal and Object
This week’s Torah portion is Parshat Emor. The portion describes the idea of holiness through man, animal and objects. Although they are spread throughout the portion, they all communicate the same idea: We are all holy beyond knowledge and as soon…
Taste of Torah: Love Your Fellow As You’d Love Yourself
This week’s Torah portion introduces the well-known Judaic concept of “Love your fellow, as yourself.” It is interesting to note that in contrast to most of the other fundamental commandments, the instruction to “Love your fellow, as yourself” does not…