Thoughts
Monique Alvarez – a rant, a warning, and an open letter
3/2/2020 I'm adding a few elaborations on this. Monique Alvarez is now going by the name Adriana Monique Alvarez. She has expanded to running women entrepreneur groups, has written a few books, and, at the time of this writing, is heavily advertising on "how to expand...
D’var: VaYishlach 5776
VaYishlach is Genesis 32:4-36:43 Many of the more important parshot of our Torah have a genealogy in them. Whether the portion is outwardly important, such as Shemot with the 10 plagues having Moses’ genealogy in the middle of it, Bereshit with the lineage of the very...
D’var: Shoftim 5775
Today’s parashah is crucial. It is the foundation of modern civilization, both in the US and in almost any government elected by and from its citizens. It also teaches that humility is not a weakness, and forcefulness is not strength. A few highlights from Shoftim is...
D’var: Va’etchanan 5775
Sometimes it’s hard to get a bearing on why we have to do terrible things. It’s hard to understand the necessity of conquering, killing, and destroying a city just for us to inhabit it. Much like Pinchas ending the plague by killing Cozbi and Zimri, Canaan needed to...
D’var: Pinchas 5775
Last week, in Balak, we saw the prince of Moab attempt to undermine the people of Israel by hiring a well known prophet to curse them. Prophets, as we now know, only see things, they can only relay ideas, actions, and consequences and try to influence change. They...
D’var: Beha’alotcha 5775
Last year, for this parasha, I spoke briefly about these two mysterious upside down nuns in Chapter 10, verses 35 and 36. About how Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the man who arranged, organized, and composed the Mishnah said that the text between these two nuns should be its...