With gratitude to God, our children have grown to become outstanding parents themselves. We recently celebrated the bris (circumcision) of a very cute little eight-day-old baby boy. A bris is a great celebration for the family. Along with official membership in the Hebrew people, the baby also gets his name—in this case, Joshua. During the
The Moon Is a Girl Read More »
Does that mean I don’t have a covenant? Is it possible for a single and/or divorced woman [who identifies as Gentile] to enter into a covenant relationship with God, and if so, how? Due to the female anatomy, I can not be circumcised. This is something I’ve wondered about for years. Is there a verse
I Can’t be Circumcised Read More »
Dear Rabbi Daniel and Susan, Could you help me out? We are reading a Torah Sidra [portion] every Saturday evening as a family. We happened to read the Sidra that included Genesis 17. I have three children and the oldest is a boy of 9. I am sure you can guess where this is going.
How do we explain to our son why circumcision matters? Read More »
A common dilemma in business is when your immediate boss responds to growth by appointing a supervisor above you. In addition to a layer of management now insulating you from your boss, it becomes especially unpleasant if the new manager is an outsider. Whatever the difficulties, one thing any experienced business professional knows is that
Don’t Tell the Boss Read More »
This is going to be an incomplete Musing because I am committing to paper thoughts that need to be sharpened and shaped. That, of course, is true of all my Musings. New information or ideas always abound. Sometimes a phrase occurs to me that I wish I had thought of earlier. Yet, this Musing
Mutilation or Not? Read More »
“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
In Front of the Eight Ball Read More »
Movie screens suggest that sex is public and everyone’s business. However, just try criticizing sexual misbehavior and you will be quickly told that sex is private and none of your business. So, which is it? It’s actually neither, or maybe we should say both. Sex should be private but it is everybody’s business.
