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Three words in the Torah become six words in Rashi’s commentary. They then become multiple columns of interpretation in the teachings of the Alexander Rebbe (Rabbi Yerachmiel Yisroel Yitzchak Danziger, 1853–1910). The Torah says: "ויעש כן אהרון" (Bamidbar 8:3) – "And Aharon did so". Meaning to say, that Aharon did as God commanded when lighting the menorah, the seven candles in the mishkan (tabernacle). Read more...

Last year on this week's Torah portion, I was in Cancun, Mexico for a vacation. I was at a crossroads in my life and unsure how to move forward. I was deciding between two professional avenues and had been debating internally to no avail. Read more...

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...

Do you ever find yourself talking to one friend or family member about another friend or family member? More often than not, it seems, people use these opportunities to compare themselves or to express criticism of others. Sometimes, the person sharing doesn't even realize that words they are saying about the other are really a reflection of their own self image or their own transference. The remarkable thing is, however, it takes no less energy and creates a very different impression when the words shared are ones of compliment and blessing. Read more...

"Eicha yashva badad, hair rabati am, haitai k'almana - Lonely sits the city, once great with people. She that was great among the nations has become like a widow". Read more...