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About the Author
Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Rabbi Shraga Simmons spent his childhood trekking through snow in Buffalo, New York. He holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He is the senior editor of Aish.com and the director of JewishPathways.com.
An expert on media bias, he was the founding editor of HonestReporting.com, and is the author of David & Goliath: The Explosive Inside Story of Media Bias in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2012). With drama and a biting edge, David & Goliath is a definitive treatment, fully resourced with over 2,000 footnotes. Readers are privy to secret negotiations with CNN executives, and how a grassroots campaign was cited by the New York Times as effecting sweeping changes in Mideast media coverage.
David & Goliath has been praised by politicians, professors and journalists: Former New York Mayor Ed Koch hails it as "Invaluable for anyone wanting the inside story," and James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal calls David & Goliath "of crucial importance for the future of the Middle East."
Rabbi Simmons lives with his wife and children in the Modi'in region of Israel.
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The Greatest Achievement
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsIn this week's Parsha, it's time for Jacob to get married, so he sets off to Uncle Laban's house to find a wife. When Jacob arrives and meets his ...
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Racing Up the Ramp
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThe beginning of Parshat Tzav describes how every morning in the Temple in Jerusalem, one of the Kohanim (priests) would remove the ashes that had ...
Your Very Best
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Vayikra discusses the "Oleh v'Yored" offering - literally the "up-and-down" offering - so called because it had three levels, based on one's ...
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God's Great Name
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
Instantaneous-ism
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsOf all types of sibling rivalry, probably the most intense is with twin boys. Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca, began struggling ...
_(english).jpg "Western Wall: Yesterday and Today")
Western Wall: Yesterday and Today
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsWhat we see today is only a small portion of the actual Wall.
_(english).gif "Exploring the Al-Chet Prayer")
Exploring the Al-Chet Prayer
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThe Yom Kippur service features a long list of 44 mistakes. What does it all mean?
_(english).jpg "What You See When Looking At the Wall")
What You See When Looking At the Wall
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsA detailed description of the fences, gates, and hills surrounding the wall.
Getting the Message Loud and Clear
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsIn this week's parsha, three million Jews gather at the foot of Mount Sinai and personally witness God Almighty giving the Torah. Despite what you ...
Living Torah
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
Shadow of God
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Pekudei tells about Betzalel, the man who supervised the design and construction of the Tabernacle. The name Betzalel literally means "in ...
A Matter of How You Use It
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThis week's parsha tells of God's instruction to make a copper washbasin for the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:17). Now let's understand: The Jews were out ...
Shabbos: Tabernacle of Time
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThe Tabernacle is a microcosm of creation and the universe.
Grappling with Gratitude
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
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Publicizing Miracles
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsWhen we light Chanukah lights, we help each other remember God's miracles and kindnesses.
God? Who is God!?
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThe story is well-known: The Jews want to leave Egypt, so God sends 10 fierce plagues ... and Pharaoh's opposition is adamant. How is it possible ...
The Temple: Do We Feel The Loss?
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsIs our world the way we really want it to be?
See-Food Diet
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
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Knowledge Vs. Wisdom
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThe secret of why the Greek empire didn't survive more than a few hundred years.
Jumping on the Bandwagon
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Ki Tisa tells of the building of the Golden Calf. The obvious question is: How could the Jews have done such a thing? They had just ...
Power to the People
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
Holy Inside and Out
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThis week's Parsha is the dream of every Jewish architect and interior designer. It describes the construction of the Mishkan, the portable Temple ...
Eye of the Universe
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsAppreciating the significance of Jerusalem's Holy Temple.
Generating Doubt
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Tetzaveh usually precedes Purim, when we read the "maftir" portion describing how Amalek attacked the Jewish people as they left ...
The Right Intentions
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Trumah begins with God's instruction to "take a donation" for the Tabernacle. This sounds strange. Shouldn't the Torah have ...
The Place that God Chooses
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
The Kabbalah of Clothes
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsFor fashion fans, this week's Parsha features a detailed account of clothes worn by the Kohanim (priests) in the Holy Temple. Each garment was ...
_(english).jpg "Defiling the Holy")
Defiling the Holy
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThe Greeks wanted to tear out the heart of Judaism and reduce it to mere symbolism.
Up the Ramp
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Mishpatim is unusual in that it begins with the word, "And." This effectively connects the mitzvot of this week's parsha to the final topic ...
The Process of Assimilation
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThree Jews are at the Country Club discussing their ethnic origins. The first says, "My father was from the old country. His name was ...
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40 Days to a Better Self
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsPrayer is not waving a magic wand and hoping for the best.
Love the Convert
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
_(english).jpg "Rebbetzin Jungreis on the Holocaust")
Rebbetzin Jungreis on the Holocaust
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsAs the new Yad Vashem museum opens, a survivor of Bergen-Belsen speaks of Jewish courage, resistance and triumph.
Wasting Time
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsMr. Cohen is pacing nervously in the waiting room of a hospital maternity ward, where inside, his wife is giving birth to their first child. ...
Jewish Unity and the Key to Redemption
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsThe Jewish People are handicapped if even one Jew has fallen away from our people.
Uncontrolled Enthusiasm
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
God and Your Parents
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Yitro tells of the revelation at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments. The commandments were written on two tablets, but there ...
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Drink 'Till You...
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsL'chaim! What's behind the unique mitzvah of getting drunk on Purim?
_(english).jpg "ABCs of Yom Kippur")
ABCs of Yom Kippur
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsGuidelines for the holiest day of the Jewish year – the Day of Atonement.
_(english).jpg "Kippah: A Blessing On Your Head")
Kippah: A Blessing On Your Head
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsIt is perhaps the most instantly identifiable mark of a Jew. When and why do we wear a kippah?
The Narrow Place
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Beshalach tells how the Jewish people have left Egypt and are heading out into the desert, when suddenly they find Pharaoh and his troops ...
In the Eyes of God and Man
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsPrevious parshas described building the Tabernacle in the desert, including the donation of materials and the actual construction. This week, Moses ...
Few in Number
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
Down-To-Earth Spirituality
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsLast week's Parsha told of the dramatic revelation of God to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. It was a spiritual trip so powerful that every Jew ...
_(english).jpg "Purim Vs. Yom Kippur")
Purim Vs. Yom Kippur
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsPurim is holier than Yom Kippur? They didn’t teach that in Hebrew school!
Commemorating the Exodus
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsIn Parshat Bo, as the Jews prepare for the Exodus from Egypt, God designates Nissan as the first month of the Jewish calendar. This is difficult to ...
For the Love of Moses
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsRabbi Shraga Simmons shares an inspiring insight from the weekly Torah portion. Your life can change in just one minute! To download the MP3 ...
Building Blocks
by Rabbi Shraga SimmonsParshat Va'eira tells about Aaron performing miracles in front of Pharaoh, and how he turns a stick into a snake. So what's Pharaoh's response? ...
