Elul is known as the period when “the King is in the field.” Both in our tefillot (prayers) and mitzvot (commandments), Hashem is tangibly closer to us. The Shechina (God’s presence) is stronger, the kedusha (holiness) is more intense. God is more accessible at this time.   The layers of camouflage which normally mask reality and make […]

My internship with the Beijing Academy of Sciences came to an end — unexpectedly. I was 26, it was 2014 and I didn’t know where to turn. I was hoping to find a new internship that could turn into a job in China didn’t have a plan B. I hardly knew anyone where I lived (a […]

Shema Yisroel. We are told this as a primary commandment. We recite it twice everyday and then once more as we lay in bed. Hashem commands us to “Hear!” But what are we supposed to hear? This is a huge command which encompasses many different dimensions but one aspect must be to hear the life […]

We are naturally wired to want freedom. No one sets out to follow as many rules as possible. But just as a soccer game offers the pleasure of competition and exercise, and a recipe offers the satisfactory result of something delicious to eat, Judaism, too, promises a more meaningful life. There are requirements, it’s true. […]