Divrei Torah
You Should Know Better Than to Listen to Me
In Parshat Lech Lecha there is an exchange between Avram and Sarai that seems inconsistent with what we know of them. Sarai suggests that Avram take her maid, Hagar, and try to have a child through Hagar. Avram follows Sarai’s suggestion and thereafter Hagar’s attitude toward Sarai changes. Sarai complains to Avram, but her statement is
There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Introduction
Those who subscribe to DansDeals are used to getting valuable offers. With that ”deal” mindset, many may think that deals from online casinos offering risk-free bets and seemingly free money are bargains worthy of Dan himself.
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Enabling Our Neshama With a Bris Milah
My cousin was born extremely prematurely and needed to be in an incubator for a few months. The family had to wait several additional months for him to be healthy enough to finally have his bris milah. During all that time…he did not have a name! I thought it was so odd to be without a name for such a long time.
Change Your Name, Change Your Fate
In this week’s parsha of Lech Lecha we read that God changed Avram’s name to Avraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah (17: 4-16.) Although they were senior citizens, they were able to conceive a child and have a child named Yitzchak. What was the significance of the name change? Is changing a name somehow magical in this respect or does it
Go Forth To the Land That I Will Show You
“The Lord said to Avram, ‘Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing.’” (Bereishit 12:1-2).
Chazal saw this one of the ten tests
For Your Benefit
Lech Lecha reminds me of when my father’s first cousin, Rav Avrohom Genechovsky, z’l, “walked” my first cousin and I to see Reb Chaim Kanievsky, shlita. I’ll never forget walking into the room where Rav Avrohom showed such fear and reverence of being in Reb Chaim’s presence, even though they were great chaverim and Rav Avrohom
Asicha Seminars Offers Post-Seminary Learning for Women
(Courtesy of Asicha) Many Orthodox Jewish women benefit from one or two years of growth and learning in seminaries in Israel but find themselves yearning for more as they transition into their university years and beyond.
Asicha Seminars is a new,
When Lashon Hara Goes Viral
I. Lashon Hara With Legs
The idea that derogatory speech can go viral—a post, video or message can be forwarded thousands of times—should more than ever bring home to us the severity of our actions, just how much damage we can do with a few words. However, sometimes even this vivid illustration is not enough to stop us from
Coronavirus #17: Escape From Dystopia
Humanity is constantly searching for a better tomorrow. Dissatisfied with our current reality, we endlessly dream of a better world without hardships and sadness. This hope for a better world affirms our conviction that human beings are capable of building a more perfect landscape.
As Jews, we
Where Are You Holding?
For many days and nights Noach was on a ship infested with all kinds of animals, having to sacrifice his already minimal comfort to attend to their daily needs while realizing that virtually the entire world is being burned and buried beneath. We could therefore imagine that perhaps when Noach would depart from the teiva he just wanted to
Ethics vs. Etiquette
At the end of Parshat Noach, following the story of the flood, Noach left the ark and planted a vineyard, with disastrous results:
“And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent” (Bereishit 9:21).
Cham, the father of
Noach’s Ark: Protecting Us Even Today
Over the years, many individuals claimed to have found the remains of Noach’s teiva (ark). Many believe the teiva is buried under layers of volcanic debris in the snow-covered Mount Ararat in Turkey. Others believe the teiva is located in the Durupinar site in eastern Turkey under a rocky spot the shape of a boat. In 2006, a team of Texas
