And the Lord said to Moses: "The plea of Zelophad's daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father's kinsmen; transfer their father's share to them." (Numbers 27:6) When is it proper - a virtue, in fact - to stick to what one has said in the past, and when is it proper - indeed, a virtue - to change one's mind? This is just one of many arenas in life where there is not only clear path for the righteous, where we instead need to balance two opposing virtues in order to do the wise and moral thing. Read more...

After the Israelites sin at Baal-Pe'or, God lashes out in anger, ordering Moses to "Take all the heads of the people and have them publicly impaled." Before Moses can act on God's command, a leading Israelite named Zimri and a leading Midianite woman named Cozbi enter the sacred site of the Tent of Meeting and there, before the entire people, begin to copulate. This arrogant escalation of sin inflames Pinhas, the leader of the Levitical guards, who grabs a spear and impales the two sinners. Read more...

There is a part of all of us that is anal-compulsive. To some degree we all want things to be neat and clean. We want them to be clear, and to stay the same, so that we can know what to expect in the future and be assured that our own view of everything is correct. Read more...

After the Israelites sin at Baal-Peor, God lashes out in anger, ordering Moses to "Take all the heads of the people and have them publicly impaled." Before Moses can act on God's command, a leading Israelite named Zimri and a leading Midianite woman named Cozbi enter the sacred site of the Tent of Meeting and there, before the entire people, begin to copulate. This arrogant escalation of sin inflames Pinhas, the leader of the levitical guards, who grabs a spear and impales the two sinners. Read more...

Today is a day of mourning. For the past two years Jews around the world have hoped, fought, prayed, and cried in agony waiting for the safe return of its captured soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. They returned home today-not safe or alive-but in coffins. In this moment, when no words can possibly bring the comfort their friends and families deserve, the ancient wisdom of Proverbs 13:12 hits too close to home: "Hope drawn out sickens the heart..." Read more...