_(english).jpg "Taking the Spiritual Dive")
_(english).jpg "Genetic Screening for Breast Cancer Genes")
_(english).jpg "Judaism and the 12-Step Program")
+.jpg "Knowledge and Wisdom")
+.jpg "Moshe, Miriam and Prophecy")
+.jpg "Looking for Good")
Looking for Good
by Nesanel Yoel SafranA good deed (or more) a day is the Torah way! In this week's Torah portion, we learn a lot about Abraham and the acts of kindness that he would do ...
Friends to the End
by Nesanel Yoel SafranReal friends stand with each other even when it's not easy. In this week's Torah portion (Gen. 14:12-14), Abraham puts himself on the line to ...
Easy ... Does It!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's nice to be with someone who's easy to get along with. This week's Torah portion is about Noah. His name, in Hebrew, means pleasant and ...
Beware of Jealousy
by Nesanel Yoel SafranJealousy is a natural but negative feeling that can cause big problems. In this week's Torah portion, Cain's jealousy of his brother, Abel, led to ...
Change Plans? Yes We Can!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranBeing able to get used to new situations can make for a happier life. One of the main activities of the Sukkot, the Holiday of Joy, is spending ...
Mess Up? Then "Fess" Up
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe all make mistakes - but, what should we do next? Admit it. One of the main points of Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) is to admit our ...
Don't Get Discouraged!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhen trying to do something, it's important not to get discouraged. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 30:11-14) Moses urges the people not to ...
Chutzpah Control
by Nesanel Yoel Safran"With all due respect" isn't just a saying - it's a way to live. In this week's portion (Deut. 28:50), the Torah refers to disrespectful ...
Help! Overboard
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe'll enjoy life more if we don't go overboard. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 21:20) we learn that gluttony - overindulging in food and ...
Give Peace a Chance!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's better to make peace than war. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 20:10-12) we learn that even when war is justified, it's proper to give ...
Stay Away From Leading Astray
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhen it comes to work, we shouldn't shirk. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 32:6) Moses reprimands some of the tribes who asked to avoid joining ...
Be Choosy!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranChoices matter. In this week's Torah portion (Deut. 11:13-17), God tells the people if they choose to do what's right they'll face pleasant ...
"Spoiled" is an Attitude
by Nesanel Yoel SafranHaving a lot doesn't have to make us spoiled. In this week's portion (Deut. 6:10-12) Moses warns the people not to let all the wealth and good ...
Things Get Better!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's easier to get through bad times when we remember that eventually things will get better. On the day of Tisha B'av, we commemorate all the bad ...
Working or Shirking?
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhen it comes to work, we shouldn't shirk. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 32:6) Moses reprimands some of the tribes who asked to avoid joining ...
Cruel or Kind?
by Nesanel Yoel SafranSometimes being strict is really being kind. In this week's Torah portion, we learn how Pinchas' strict reaction to the people's improper behavior ...
Respect Your Own Privacy.
by Nesanel Yoel SafranModesty means keeping things private that should be kept private. In this week's Torah portion, Bilaam blesses the Jewish people because they set up ...
Keep Your Cool!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe can avoid making mistakes we'll regret if we keep our cool and don't get angry. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 20:10-12), Moses, although a ...
Think For Yourself!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe shouldn't let people talk us into doing something we don't want to. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 16:1) Korach talked a lot of people into ...
Believe In Yourself!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranHealthy self-confidence can make a big difference in our lives. In this week's Torah portion, (Num. 13:31) a lack of self-confidence prevented the ...
Making Dreams Come True
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's great to have a dream, but the real accomplishment is making our dreams into realities. In this week's Torah portion (Num. 8:4), concerning ...
Enjoy Life!
by Nesanel Yoel SafranLife's meant to be enjoyed. This week's Torah portion disapproves of someone purposely depriving himself of enjoyment (Num. 6:11,Rashi). The Torah ...
Count Yourself In
by Nesanel Yoel SafranEvery person is important and every person counts. This week's portion takes a detailed census-count of each of the 12 tribes, not just the ...
Possessor or Possessed?
by Nesanel Yoel SafranOur possessions are ours to enjoy - as long as we don't let them posses us. This week's Torah portion (Lev. 25:6) instructs farmers that while for ...
Looking Good
by Nesanel Yoel SafranHaving a 'good eye' means more than 20/20 vision. This week's Torah portion tells us about the period between Passover and Shavuot. The highlight ...
Beating Cheating
by Nesanel Yoel SafranEven if we know we won't get caught, cheating people is wrong. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 19:13-14) we learn the value of not taking ...
Grappling With Gossip
by Nesanel Yoel SafranGossiping may seem harmless, but it can cause people a lot of pain. In this week's Torah portion we learn about tzara'at, the spiritual disease ...
Giving a Fair Hearing
by Nesanel Yoel SafranThe sign of a wise or strong person isn't that he wins every argument, but that he's willing to hear out the other person's side of things and ...
Making the Impossible Possible
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhen something we want to accomplish looks impossible, we have two choices: either to give up or at least try to do what we can. The Jewish ...
A Different Kind of Slavery
by Nesanel Yoel SafranDo you know anyone who's a slave? No? Don't be so sure. Passover celebrates God freeing our people from slavery in Egypt. Thankfully we're not ...
Fair Share
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhat's the secret to peace? This week's Torah portion teaches about the special 'peace offering' service in the holy tabernacle-sanctuary. Our ...
Giving From the Best
by Nesanel Yoel SafranIt's nice to give away something we don't really want anyway for a good cause. But it's a great thing to give away something we do want. This ...
Stubborn or Strong-Willed?
by Nesanel Yoel SafranBeing 'stiff-necked' can mean more than whether we're able to turn our heads. In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 34:9), Moses calls the people ...
Making Fun Isn't Funny
by Nesanel Yoel SafranPurim is the number one fun day in the Jewish calendar. People dress in costumes, have get-togethers with friends and family full of good music ...
Tasking Without Asking
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe don't have to wait to be asked to be helpful - we can volunteer. In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 25:2) we learn what happened when the people ...
Keeping Our Hands to Ourselves
by Nesanel Yoel SafranHitting isn't fitting. This week's Torah portion teaches the penalties for those who hit or physically harm others. Even if we're upset, we should ...
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
by Nesanel Yoel SafranHelp... We all need it at times, and there’s nothing wrong with asking for it. In this week's Torah portion (18:17-23), Moses' ...
Needy or Greedy?
by Nesanel Yoel SafranGreedy grabbing isn't great. In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 16:18) the people who were greedy and grabbed more of the special manna-food in the ...
Mistake - Double Take
by Nesanel Yoel SafranNothing's wrong with making mistakes, as long as we learn from them. Pharaoh, in this week's Torah portion, keeps making the same mistake of not ...
Sibling Chivalry
by Nesanel Yoel SafranOur siblings don't have to be our rivals. In this week's portion, Moses had an important message to deliver to Pharaoh, but his brother, Aaron, ...
Meeting the Challenge
by Nesanel Yoel SafranDid you know that the greatest leader in our people's history was physically challenged? Moses, the one whom God chose to deliver the Jewish ...
Parents Understand
by Nesanel Yoel SafranOur parents understand more than we may sometimes think they do. In this week's Torah portion (Gen. 48:17-19) Joseph thought his father, Jacob, ...
Apparent to a Parent
by Nesanel Yoel SafranParents have feelings too. In this week's Torah portion (44:30-34), Yehudah was ready to put his life on the line and face up to the powerful ...
Right Makes Might
by Nesanel Yoel SafranThe story of Chanukah tells how the Jewish people faced an enemy that was trying to force them to act just like them, even though what they were ...
Reaching Out
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhen we see that someone is feeling down, we should reach out and try to pick him up. In this week's Torah portion (40:6-7) Joseph noticed that ...
Temper Our Temper
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe'll do a lot better when we temper our temper. In this week's Torah portion (Gen. 35:25-30), two of Jacob's sons let their temper get the best ...
God Is Very Close
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWhere is God? Everywhere! In this week's Torah portion (28:15), God tells Jacob that wherever he goes, God will be there watching over him. And ...
Hold Your Tongue
by Nesanel Yoel SafranWe should learn to hold our tongues - but not with our hands. In this week's Torah portion ( Gen. 26:19-22), Isaac 'held his tongue' and didn't ...
Appreciate Your Mom
by Nesanel Yoel SafranThere's no one like Mom. This week's portion (Gen. 23:1, see Rashi) tells us of the greatness of the mother of the entire Jewish people - Sarah. ...
Pass the Test
by Nesanel Yoel SafranA test isn't only something we take at school - it can be something that makes us choose between right and wrong. In this week's Torah portion ...
