In this drasha, we learn how Brit Mila and Rosh Hashana both embody the values of accepting God’s authority and recalling that such acceptance demands self-sacrifice, as seen in the halacha concerning when Brit Mila coincides with Rosh Hashana.
In this Siyum Mesechet (Berachot) that I made for the ilui neshama of Ari Zenilman, HYD, I discuss what is true peace in Jewish thought, contrasting it with modern pacifism, and highlighting the moral clarity required to achieve it.
While mesechet Shabbat is one filled with all the minutiae of the law, how one must be careful to fulfill the law in all its detail – and this is indeed important since halacha is what frames our daily lives – it ends with a story that teaches that there is not only room, but a need to just mess around, mitasek, lesahek.
Why is this Shabbat: Gadol? What is Gadol? How does one become Gadol?
The Talmud teaches that when the month of Adar arrives we should increase in Joy. But perhaps the extra Adar inserted merely to align the lunar cycle with the solar cycle is not a time for rejoicing. And regardless, at a time of war and great stress in the nation, perhaps now is not the time to rejoice? In this short lesson I argue that nothing could be further from the truth.
Why would you sell your clothes to light Hannuka candles? This video illuminates how the flickering flames uplift our faith, unite our people, and inspire the world – thus kindling the eternal light inside us that can help dispel even the darkest evil.
In the shadow of the barbaric massacre committed by Palestinian terrorists in Israel on October 7, 2023, we must ask how to respond – morally – to radical evil. This is critical because, while our enemies have lost their humanity we must not lose ours in our battle against them. Using the rules of war against Amalek, the biblical paradigm of radical evil, I demonstrate how these rules also conform to the internationally accepted principles of Just War Theory.
Transhumanism is a movement to “enhance humanity” by integrating technology into human beings, creating what is often referred to as “cyborgs”. In this video, I explain the movement within the context of “end of days” prophecies and Jewish ethics. NOTE: This is meant as an introduction and not the final word on the subject. Indeed, while I leave off in very positively, there are significant ethical concerns to be addressed.
Everyone has some intuition about the impropriety of manipulation. But why is it really bad, morally? And how does this play out on digital platforms?
With the advancement of technology and the internet of things, the capacity to collect data has given new meaning to surveillance and brought into focus the value of privacy. Is there a balance to benefit individual and society?
