What does it mean to leave everything behind? To reject the ideas a person grew up with, and commit instead to new ideals? Is it possible to maintain anything of the past when embarking on a new life? When we first meet Rivka, she seems basically perfect. Avraham has tasked his servant with finding the […]
The story of Yaakov’s surreptitious acquisition of the blessings his father intended for Esav is well known. This episode, coupled with the Torah’s declaration of Yitzchak’s love for Esav, leads many readers to misinterpret Yitzchak’s feelings for each of his sons. While some assume that Yitzchak loved Esav more than he loved Yaakov, the text […]
I recently tweeted a joke that went viral, and I believe it did because of a deep truth it contains about Jews.
Dear Jew in the City- Are the mistakes of youth (teens) counted differently in Judaism? Thanks, AJ Dear AJ- Thanks for your question. In Judaism, the age of an offender is certainly taken into account, in a number of ways. The first and most obvious example is the concept of bar and bas mitzvah, that […]
Brett Kavanaugh and Governor Ralph Northam’s youthful indiscretions have been under fire in the news. Should they be forgiven according to Judaism?
Several years ago during a holiday visit to my in-laws, I was in desperate need of can-openage, and my nephew, who was six at the time, was kind enough to show me where the household can opener resided. Although I’d been successfully opening cans for close to twenty years at the point, something about this […]
