Korbanot Pregnant with Meaning – Parshat Tazria 2024

Pregnancy is objectively difficult. The experience varies from woman to woman and from pregnancy to pregnancy, but there are common challenges that apply almost universally even if everything is going as expected. During the first trimester, a pregnant woman may have extreme nausea, cravings, and just a very weird relationship with food. I remember that …

Egyptian Dietary Restrictions and Jewish Particularism – Parshat Miketz 2023

Office or school holiday parties are often awkward even for the average American who has no problem with the food or alcohol being served. For many American Jews, it can be even more uncomfortable. A friend of mine, the comedian Eli Lebowicz, co-wrote and performed in a hilarious sketch comedy video in which he and …

Avraham’s Fears About War – Parshat Lech Lecha 2022

One of the most famous comedy shows ever to grace the television screen was the sketch comedy show, Monty Python. The show was such a success that it spawned multiple feature films featuring the same actors as well as a more recent Broadway show. But in 1968, the year prior to the airing of the …

Magic Eye – Parshat Re’eh 2021

Many public speakers, even those who make speeches in public regularly, such as politicians, clergy, and actors, struggle with a problem that they may not even be aware of while they are speaking. Nervousness and anxiety may cause a person to develop or express a verbal tic, a word or sound that they repeat over …