Question of the week: Dear Rabbi Daniel and Susan, In your program, Ancient Jewish Wisdom, “Our Culture,” how did Rebekah know that the jewelry represented the ten commandments when they had not been given yet? Thank you, Leah Hi Leah, Thanks for giving us a chance to expand on our words. For those who haven’t...
Sam was an unhappy truck driver. He called my radio show from the cab of his 18-wheeler while hauling twenty tons of airplane parts across the Sierra Nevada. Some family history had recently emerged suggesting that Sam was at risk of Huntington’s disease. He was devastated. I spoke to him off the air for a...
Each one of us is unique, of course. It’s just that some are, well, a little more unique than others. Our president is certainly unique. Over the past few years, President Trump has worked at a pace that younger presidents did not attempt or manage. Whether you agree or disagree with his policies, he takes...
A ‘Your Mother’s Guidance’ post by Rebecca Masinter As we read the section of Genesis about the Flood, we see the world being destroyed and recreated. Noah is the man who lived through the recreation. When he left the ark, he emerged into a world that was fundamentally changed from what it had been before. ...
Thought Tools are meant as practical, real-world application of specific principles in Ancient Jewish wisdom. Before submitting them for publication we ask ourselves whether they would have made sense to our grandparents and if they will make sense to our grandchildren. In other words, are they ‘evergreen’? Little gets stale more quickly than political columns,...
“Money, money, money…” sang Abba in 1976. What is it? It is funny how challenging it is to define. Is it those metallic discs clinking in your pocket? How about those strips of colored paper in your wallet? How about when you write a check? Is that money? What if you write on a...
Have you ever endured the ugliness of having to step cautiously past a comatose vagrant and his smelly bundles blocking the entry to a store you’re trying to patronize? I know what you’re thinking. “Our rabbi lacks mercy for the homeless,” right? Have you ever visited a home where the parents are meticulously raising monstrous...
Here is a quick yes/no quiz which will reveal important information about your personality: Do you occasionally make thoughtless remarks which you later regret? Are you usually concerned about the need to protect your health? Is it normally hard for you to own up and take the blame? Do you sometimes resent the efforts of...
“Rabbi Lapin, please stop talking and writing about money; all you’re doing is perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes!” This was the phone call I received a while ago from the head of one of the Jewish organizations concerned with anti-Semitism. Knowing it was futile, I still recommended that he worry more about Moslems than about me. “Rabbi...
I am a Christian who lives in Indonesia. I am a frequent listener of your podcast and blessed to find tremendous wisdom in your teaching. I am keen to learn about the root of my faith from Hebrew Bible, at which I believe, as you believe, as a God-given blueprint for our life. As a...
