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So this happened today: I was sitting in a restaurant, facing the door with a buddy from the industry. Through a window, I saw a tall, messy, dirty, and grimy man, walk by and enter the establishment. I figured he was a homeless man looking for something to eat or use the bathroom. I kept my eye on him though. After waiting by the front door and looking around for 2 minutes, the man walked to the back and entered the bathroom. I notified a staff member, who informed me that this was the second time he came in today....

This week's Torah portion that Jews worldwide read is called Bo. It's the third chapter in the book of Exodus. In it, we read about the last three plagues God brings down upon the Egyptians, as well as the Exodus of the Jews leaving the land after 210 years of slavery.The Jews living in Egypt were forced into back-breaking labor and subjected to murder and rape. There was no avenue of escape under the despotic Pharaoh. Plague after plague decimated the land of Egypt, and tyranny still prevailed because of Pharaoh's stubbornness. At long last, after the death of his...

Why I am No Longer a Democrat My cousin was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting. Up until then, the media had trained me to be fearful of guns and to stereotype proponents of the Second Amendment as Southern, redneck racists. I grew up in a household where most of the world’s ills were blamed on Republicans, and my parents voted Democrat down the ballot. “They are the empathetic ones who care about the little guy,” my mother would say. However, my cousin’s death stirred up questions inside of me: Why do schools brandish “gun-free zone” signs when government...

This week, Jews worldwide read from the weekly bible portion of VaYishlach. In it, we find Jacob, along with his family, riches, and abundance of livestock, on the road, preparing to meet his brother, Eisav, who has believed for the last 20 years that Jacob is dead. Since Eisav sanctioned the murder of his brother 20 years earlier, this pivotal meeting in the bible is tense and terrifying for Jacob and his family. Jacob had no idea what to expect. He had no idea how Eisav would react.How did Jacob he prepare?Jacob took three steps in his preparation for the...

Throughout history, the Jewish nation has been tormented, persecuted, enslaved, expelled, and has gone through repeated attempts at being annihilated. In the year 3408 (353 B.C.E.), the Jewish people, after having recently returned from the Babylonian exile, rebuilt the Second Temple with the permission of Darius and Cyrus. After some time, Alexander the Great conquered Jerusalem. Many of Alexander's generals and advisors attempted to persuade him to hinder the spiritual practices of the Jews. An incredible moment is documented in the Talmud, Tractate Tamid (27b). Shimon the Righteous led a delegation of Jews out to the gates of Jerusalem to...