There are certainly enough reasons to consume our lives with worry. Parents don't meet our needs fully; children don't quite live up to our expectations. Spouses are all too human. Read more...

When the Lord enlarges your territory, as He has promised you, and you say, "I shall eat some meat," for you have the urge to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you wish. If the place where the Lord has chosen to establish His name [the Temple in Jerusalem] is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that the Lord gives you, as I have instructed you; and you may eat to your heart's content in your settlements....But make sure that you do not partake of the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh. Read more...

With a Torah portion, filled with so many details of so many commandments it is hard to decide which issue to single out. Some have theological questions lurking behind them, some practical and technical ones. Some scream 'I represent social justice, pick me!' If that isn't enough, we bless the new moon this Shabbat, ushering in the month of Elul. I know of someone who already received an invitation to a Rosh Hashana meal, how can Elul not be addressed? Read more...

It is a rabbinic dictum not to attempt to weigh the value of one mitzvah against the other. Rather than saying that this mitzvah is more important than another, we are to recognize that all mitzvot are grounded in our brit (covenant) with the Holy One and derive their authority out of our chosen response to God's will. Read more...

Social pressure to conform is a steady and soul-deadening force. With relentless enticements, cultures seek ways to impose similarity of worldview, of behavior, even of thought upon their members. Even contemporary society, with its laudable commitment to individuality, imposes subtle mandates through the media, through the movies, through advertisements and in countless other ways. Small wonder, then, that the truly free soul is rare. Read more...