Every chapter, verse, word, and even letter in the Five Books of Moses is filled with meaning and timeless life lessons. Jews read this sacred text from a parchment Torah scroll in synagogue each year, with a different section (parsha) allocated to each week. Year after year we read the same parshas, always finding deeper meanings and new relevance to our lives and the world around us.
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The Definition of Soulmates
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was asked, “Do you believe in soulmates?”
He said, “It’s quite true that God decides before we’re born who the right spouse is for us, but it is not necessarily true that God decides such a couple will be happy.”
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What Does “Yasher Koach” Mean?
After a person reads Torah for the benefit of the congregation, we say to them, “Yasher Koach!”
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The Tiny Torah in Space
As the Chief Rabbi of Holland died, he pressed a Torah scroll, no taller than four and a half inches, firmly into Joachim Joseph’s hand, commanding him to keep it and always tell its story.
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Day 1574 – Don’t Eye the Merchandise
My son’s 7th birthday is coming up and he wants a punching bag so he can practice tae kwon do at home. I studied the art myself for years, so I know what he needs, and it’s not an inflatable, wobbling piece of dreck that ends up punctured in a week. He’s got a solid roundhouse. He needs a good bag, with a heavy base, that will survive thousands of punches and kicks.
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Day 271 – The Longer Shorter Way
R’ Yehoshua ben Chananyah said: Once I was walking down the road and I saw a little boy sitting by a fork in the road, and I asked him, “Which is the road we take to the town?” He answered me, “This road is short and long, and this one is long and short.”
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A Prayer for Israel’s Enemies
Master of the Universe, please help our enemies see with their eyes and understand with their heartsbefore it is too late.
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A Rider Emerged Looking to Learn about the One God
A rider emerged from the shimmering heat of the desert, and approached a large tent. Our father Abraham rushed out to help the rider dismount from his camel. “Welcome, friend. Come in and take refreshment.”
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Two Creatures Noah Should have Turned Away
Rabbi Levi taught: when the Holy One ordered Noah to include two of every kind aboard the ark, Falsehood tried to enter.
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Can You Disagree With The Whole World And Be Right?
“Truth does not become more true because the whole world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it.”
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Terrorism is Not New
Right now, the good people of the world are scared. We find ourselves targeted by a savage death cult, and wonder when the next attack will occur.
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One Should Taste Every Permitted Food
Rav Chizkiya said in the name of Rav, “In the World to Come, every person will be called to account for everything his eyes saw, but of which he did not eat.