With more than seventy laws detailed (72 according to Maimonides; 74 by other counts), this week's Torah portion, Ki Tetzei, contains more laws than almost any other single portion of the Torah. At first glance, the various laws read as a miscellany list of unconnected themes: marriage/divorce, personal property, employee-employer relations. Read more...

There are two times of the year that we are called upon to do serious house cleaning. The first is the month of Nissan, leading up to Pessach, when we clean our homes so that we arrive at Pessach with a chametz free home. The second is the month of Elul, the month that we are residing in, when we are asked to clean our hearts and souls. Read more...

For more than a month, the dog abuse charges against NFL star quarterback Michael Vick and his codefendants have stirred public outrage, calling for an immediate reaction amongst the NFL, law enforcement, and animal rights’ activists.  The outcry has been long and loud; the disgust deep.  This is not just another sports star whose celebrity is being made off the field as much as on the field.  After hearing about how dogs who didn’t make the “cut” in preliminary fighting sessions were hung, drowned, slammed to the ground, and forced into positions where other animals could at Read more...

With more than seventy laws detailed (72 according to Maimonides; 74 by other counts), this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tetze, contains more laws than almost any other single portion of the Torah.  At first glance, the various laws read as a miscellany list of unconnected themes: marriage/divorce, personal property, employee-employer relations.  Read more...

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