I admit that Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter has made me consider getting a Twitter account, something that I previously never desired. However, even if the company ceases to act as a fawning Big Brother for the Democrat Party and a Leftist agenda, its fundamental flaws remain. One of these is restricting the length of...
A great deal has been going on in the corporate world recently, including Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, Florida’s revocation of Disney’s special status, and the failure of CNN’s streaming service, CNN+. While I am personally gratified that the millions of dollars poured into CNN+ did not convince people to appreciate the misguided content, I...
Is there a difference between grieving and mourning? I would think it would be two separate words in Hebrew. Can you tell us the difference if any? Thanks, Susan D. Dear Susan, Before we could look at the Hebrew, we wanted to see what the English words meant. Our trusty thesaurus suggested that, for the...
“Each Passover we should see ourselves as if we personally experienced the Exodus from Egypt.” Jews around the world recited a sentence expressing this thought at the Passover Seder a few nights ago. Shortly before the holiday started, my son, Ari, saw one aspect of this idea come to life. I think most of us...
Is it ok to say that? Dear Rabbi, I highly appreciate all your teachings, I am a happy warrior from El Salvador in Central America. I work for a company in which the culture is based on a positive mentality. The owner tells us to practice mental training every day, which he defines it like,...
I have a friend who gets little pleasure from cooking. It is a reality of life for her rather than a tactile, sensual experience. That is, unless she is cooking for the Sabbath. When she does that, the activity is infused with meaning and importance and changes from an annoying necessity into a higher calling....
In a Torah-observant Jewish home, Passover may be an eight-day holyday (seven in the land of Israel), but preparations for the Festival, both physical and spiritual, commence weeks earlier. I’ve discussed in previous Thought Tools that Passover revolves around family. Paradoxically, however, Passover is one of the three pilgrimage festivals. In the times of Solomon’s...
I know that words matter and had a question about Genesis 22:1 and 22:11. In verse 1, Abraham answers, “Here I am,” and in verse 22 “Here am I.” Any significance to this difference? Thank you for all that you do and have a great rest of the day. Matt D. Dear Matt, Thank you...
There are very few people that I would rather spend time with than my daughters, whether by birth or marriage. It also gives my husband and me unimaginable pleasure when the next-generation siblings enjoy being together. So, when one of them asked if I would give a “Daughters’ pre-Passover Class,” in spite of everyone’s hectic...
Dear Rabbi Lapin and Susan, While still in college and near his 20th birthday, my son announced his decision to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help him look more like how he feels inside, a woman. He says he’s felt this way since early in high school, and he told us he’d already legally...
