_(english).jpg "Taking the Spiritual Dive")
_(english).jpg "Genetic Screening for Breast Cancer Genes")
_(english).jpg "When Bad Things Happen")
_(english).jpg "Judaism and the 12-Step Program")
+.jpg "Knowledge and Wisdom")
+.jpg "Moshe, Miriam and Prophecy")
+.jpg "The Secret to Happiness")
The Secret to Happiness
by Nesanel Yoel SafranHappiness has a secret formula. On Sukkot - the Jewish 'happiness festival' - the Torah asks us to try our best to be in a happy, joyful frame of ...
Wake Up and Make Up
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIf we get into an argument or fight with someone (and everybody does, at least sometimes), it’s important to try to make-up with the person ...
Don't Be Spoiled
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe have to be careful that good things and good fortune don't make us spoiled. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 32:15-16) we learn how having a ...
Courage of Convictions
by Nesanel Yoel SafranTrue courage is the strength to stand up for our values. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 31:6), Moses tells the people not to be afraid of the ...
Nobody's Fool
by Nesanel Yoel SafranPurposely fooling people or giving them bad advice is wrong. In this week's portion (Deut. 27:18, see Rashi) the Torah instructs us not to lead ...
Keeping Clean
by Nesanel Yoel SafranKeeping ourselves and our surroundings clean is an important Torah value. In this week’s Torah portion (23:14) we learn about the extra care ...
It's No Joy To Destroy
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe shouldn't destroy, deface, damage or waste things for no good reason. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 20:19) we see how even an army in the ...
Only Imitate the Great
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe have to be careful not to copy people's bad behavior. In this week's portion (Deut. 12:30-31) the Torah instructs the people not to imitate the ...
Take Success In Stride
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe shouldn't let success go to our heads. This week's Torah portion (Deut. 8:11-14) reminds us that when things are going our way, we shouldn't ...
Junking Jealousy
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's natural to feel jealous when we see that someone has something that we don't. But jealousy only makes us feel bad and can ruin relationships. ...
Just Ask
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe don't have to be embarrassed to ask for help. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 1:9-13) Moses mentions how he'd asked for help when leading ...
Accidentally On Purpose
by Nesanel Yoel SafranThere's a difference between doing something by accident and doing it on purpose. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 35:16-25) we learn that while ...
Commit To It!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe should keep to our commitments and not try to get out of them. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 32:6), Moses tells the leaders of the tribes ...
Family Ties
by Nesanel Yoel SafranA caring family is more precious than gold. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 27:4) a man's daughters care enough about him - and their family - ...
Temper Control
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe always lose when we lose our temper. In this week's Torah portion, Bilaam makes a fool of himself when he loses his temper at his donkey. If we ...
Being Generous
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe shouldn't be stingy or mean. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 20:14-20), Moses and the Jewish people needed to pass through the land of Edom ...
Peace Keeping
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe can all be peacemakers or warmongers - it's our choice. In this week's Torah portion, Korach makes the disastrous choice to unjustly rebel ...
Don't Be Afraid
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe shouldn't be intimidated. In this week's Torah portion, instead of bravely entering the land of Israel as God had instructed them, the people ...
Persistence Pays
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhen something's important to us, we shouldn't give up easily. This week's Torah portion (Num. 9:6-14) tells of how some people who wanted a ...
When 'No' Means 'Yes'
by Nesanel Yoel SafranSometimes saying 'no' to ourselves can make us even happier than saying 'yes.' In this week's portion, we learn about a Nazarite - someone who ...
The Right to Help
by Nesanel Yoel SafranHelping isn't a burden—it's a privilege. In this week's portion, we learn that it was the Levites—the special tribe with the highest ...
A Little Respect
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's great to be respectful. The upcoming day of Lag B'Omer is special for many reasons. One of them is that it celebrates the end of a terrible ...
Watch Out For Words
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWords can be weapons. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 25:17) the Torah teaches us the important value of being careful not to hurt or embarrass ...
Family First
by Nesanel Yoel SafranFamilies are important and we should be willing to go out of our way for ours. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 21:2), we see how the ...
Revenge Is NOT Sweet
by Nesanel Yoel SafranJust because someone isn't nice to us, it doesn't permit us not to be nice to him. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 19:18), we learn the ...
Don't Follow the Herd!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's natural to act like the people around us - but sometimes we shouldn't. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 18:3) God instructs the Jewish ...
You're a Success!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhat makes a person a winner? In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 14:21) we learn how someone with less money would get as much credit for bringing ...
Bite Your Tongue
by Nesanel Yoel SafranOur mouths are powerful weapons - they can be used either for the good or for the bad. In this week's Torah portion we learn about a spiritual ...
Speak Up!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhen is it right to get involved in other people's business? When we can help them. In this week's Torah portion, (Lev. 10:16-20) although Moses ...
Don't Get Offended
by Nesanel Yoel SafranThe less we let ourselves feel insulted by other people's comments or opinions of us, the happier we'll be. In the Purim story, Haman was so ...
Forgive Mistakes
by Nesanel Yoel SafranEveryone makes mistakes - sometimes even big ones. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 3:20) we see how God is ready to forgive even the biggest ...
Rays of Praise
by Nesanel Yoel SafranDon't just tell people when they've done something wrong - tell them when they've done something right! In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 39:43), ...
Everyone Can Teach
by Nesanel Yoel SafranEvery one of us is a teacher. In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 35:34), God gives Betzalel the ability and mission to teach others his special ...
Danger: Anger
by Nesanel Yoel SafranA short fuse makes a person lose. In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 34:6) we learn that God is extremely patient with us and is slow to get angry ...
Rules Are Tools
by Nesanel Yoel SafranNobody likes to be told he has to do something. Yet rules and obligations are often necessary and a part of everyone's life. The name of this ...
Making a House a Home
by Nesanel Yoel SafranA home is more than just a building with walls, ceilings and floors. It's a place to live, learn and grow. This week's Torah portion tells us ...
Welcome!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's hard to be a newcomer - a new kid in class or the neighborhood - amongst old friends who already know each other. How we treat someone new ...
Dignified Inside and Out
by Nesanel Yoel SafranThe way we act and dress says a lot about who we are. This week's Torah portion (Ex. 20:23) instructs the Jewish Cohanim/priests to be sure to ...
Facing Fear
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe all get afraid at times, but we don’t have to let our fear get the best of us. In this week’s Torah portion (14:10-14) the people ...
On the Fast Track
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's a good trick to know how to be quick. In this week's Torah portion, God takes Jewish people out of Egyptian slavery so fast that they don't ...
Believe You Can Do It!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe can do more than we think we can. In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 6:12), Moses lacks the self-confidence to try to free his people from ...
You Have the Right ... Not to Do Wrong
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIf somebody tells us to do something we think is wrong to do, we don't have to do it. In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 1:17), the powerful king ...
Promises, Promises...
by Nesanel Yoel SafranKeeping promises is an important Torah value. In this week's Torah portion (Gen. 47:31), Joseph makes a promise to his father, Jacob, that he does ...
Patch Things Up
by Nesanel Yoel SafranJust because we had a quarrel or fight with someone doesn't mean we can't make up. In this week's Torah portion, Joseph and his brothers reconcile ...
Real Greatness
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhat makes someone a winner? Is it your looks, talents and accomplishments, or is it your values and how well you treat others? More than 2,000 ...
No Tall Tales
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe shouldn't make up stories about people that make them look bad or can cause them to get into trouble. In this week's Torah portion, Potiphar's ...
Take Care of Your Stuff
by Nesanel Yoel SafranTaking proper care of our possessions is an important value. In this week's Torah portion (Gen. 32:25, Rashi), Jacob forgets some of his ...
Shame on ... Nobody!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranNot embarrassing people is a major Torah value. In this week's Torah portion, Rachel gives up something very important to her to save her sister, ...
Siblings, Get Along?
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhy are the people closest to us, our siblings, often the hardest to get along with? In this week's Torah portion we learn of the brothers, Jacob ...
Speaking With Parents
by Nesanel Yoel SafranA parent is more than just another person and should be treated with special respect. In our Torah portion, the disrespectful way Laban treats his ...
