Off the Pulpit: Spiritual fractals

January 11, 2019

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

The cauliflower explains a lot about the Jewish tradition.

A fractal is a self-similar pattern, whose scale or size differs. Things in nature display different degrees of such self-similarity — break a cauliflower apart and a...

Person in the Parsha: Beshalach

January 11, 2019

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“HORSE AND RIDER”

Pharaoh was just the first.

One way of looking at Jewish history is as a series of encounters with evil rulers. Pharaoh, whom we have been reading about these past...

Person in the Parsha: Bo

January 11, 2019

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“LET’S TALK IT OVER“

I have long believed that all conflicts between people could be settled if the parties to the dispute would agree to simply sit down together and talk. There are,...

Off the Pulpit: Resolutions for the new year

January 04, 2019

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

1. To laugh often, but in amusement, not in derision. 2. To pray often, but with appreciation, not avarice. 3. To lift my eyes from screens and remind myself of the variety, beauty, occasional savagery and...

Person in the Parsha: Va’era

December 28, 2018

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“HOPELESS“

I remember the conversation very well. It was a discussion among a group of assorted friends, from a variety of backgrounds. One or two were true scholars. The others were not...

Off the Pulpit: Cheap but precious

December 28, 2018

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

In a Talmud seminar Talmud with Prof. David Weiss Halivni we once came across a misquotation from a well known Talmudist. When we questioned Prof. Halivni, he asked us in turn how many had complete sets...

Person in the Parsha: Shemot

December 21, 2018

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“SLEEPLESS NIGHTS“

Can you sleep at night? There is so much trouble in the world. Violence, wars large and small, natural disasters, disease. We all personally know many who are suffering at...

Off the Pulpit: How Serious Is Your Problem?

December 21, 2018

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

Years ago I read a brilliant anecdote about George S. Kaufman, prize winning playwright: On the TV show “This Is Show Business” the youthful singer Eddie Fisher complained that girls refuse to date him because of...

Person in the Parsha: Vayechi

December 14, 2018

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“NO TWO SNOWFLAKES ARE ALIKE”

When I’m not in Israel, I live on the eastern seaboard of the United States, which, at the time of writing this particular piece, had recently...

Off the Pulpit: The Grandparent’s Blessing

December 14, 2018

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE

A grandfather solves the most troubling problem of the first book of the Torah.

From the beginning, there have been clashes between brothers: Cain and Able, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and...