About the Author

Rabbi Max Weiman

Max Weiman was raised in Philadelphia and studied classical music and fine art. After university, he received rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He now lives in St. Louis and authors the website kabbalahmadeeasy.com
Harmonious Cycle

Harmonious Cycle

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The final section of the Torah contains a list of blessings. Blessings also come at the beginning....

Joy and Enlightenment

Joy and Enlightenment

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Most of this week's Torah portion is a song. This is reflected in the Torah scroll itself, the way...

Journey to the Upper Realm

Journey to the Upper Realm

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This week's parsha discusses the death of our teacher, Moses, and uses the words, "Moses went...

Inner Knowledge

Inner Knowledge

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One of the most poignant and enigmatic sections in the Torah appears in this week's...

Impure Motives

Impure Motives

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Some Torah passages appear to describe severe punishments for not following the commandments. From...

See the Future

See the Future

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Our parsha begins: "When you go out to war..." (Deut. 21:10). This describes a strange...

True Justice

True Justice

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In order for there to be peace, there has to be judges and judgment. Being a judge is one of the...

Shades of Gray

Shades of Gray

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"See I put before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut. 11:26). This is a poignant...

Greatness in the Details

Greatness in the Details

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Sometimes a relationship is defined not by the big things, but by the small things.

Prayer & Meditation

Prayer & Meditation

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As part of Jewish tradition, Moses knew of God's promise to bring us to the Holy Land, where...

Introspecting for Growth

Introspecting for Growth

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When the fifth and final book of the Torah was composed, it expressed itself differently than the...

Be Normal

Be Normal

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There are 613 commandments in the Torah, but there are also unspoken commandments, common sense...

What's Your Mission?

What's Your Mission?

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This week's parsha (Numbers, ch. 25) describes an extremely unusual incident that seems to...

Real Power

Real Power

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What would you do if you were one of the world's greatest magicians? Not like David Blaine or...

Shades of Gray

Shades of Gray

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Some things in life are clearly bad, like idolatry. Some things in life are clearly good, like...

Hell No, We Won't Go

Hell No, We Won't Go

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A Jewish view of Heaven and Hell.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution

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We are always facing conflicts of one kind or another. This is life. Actually, all of life is a...

Two Strategies For Life

Two Strategies For Life

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This Torah portion speaks about one of the monumental events that changed life for the children of...

Fulfilled Desires

Fulfilled Desires

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Imagine if we lived in a world where all our desires were fulfilled. Wouldn't that be awesome?...

The Good Fence

The Good Fence

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Two odd themes are juxtaposed in the Book of Numbers, chapters 5 and 6: the Nazir and the...

Be Yourself

Be Yourself

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Who you are as an individual is no accident. You were designed by an Infinite Being with extreme...

Walk This Way

Walk This Way

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Leviticus 26:3 says, "If you will walk in My decrees and guard My commandments and you do them..."...

The Big Trust

The Big Trust

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Striking the balance between effort and trust.

The Higher Standard

The Higher Standard

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We still have people today who can trace their lineage back to biblical times. You can even find...

Soul Control

Soul Control

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In this week's parsha, the Torah teaches us about Love Your Neighbor: "You shall not be a...

Boundary Power

Boundary Power

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Imposing boundaries puts the incredible arsenal of personal abilities in the palm of your hand.

Metaphysical Messages

Metaphysical Messages

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When we lived in a much more spiritually-aware time, there were more open messages from the...

Necessary Negativity

Necessary Negativity

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When a woman gives birth she is tameh for one week (for a boy) and two weeks (for a girl). Tameh...

Holy Food

Holy Food

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The gift of self-control.

Holy Garbage

Holy Garbage

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The first service each day in the Holy Temple was called trumat hadeshen, removal of the ashes. A...

Kabbalistic Insights into Shvat

Kabbalistic Insights into Shvat

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Each month of the Hebrew calendar contains mystical meaning. Shvat teaches us about the wellsprings of wisdom.

The Small Aleph

The Small Aleph

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What a difference a letter makes.

It's All in the Timing

It's All in the Timing

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In this week's Torah portion, God says, "On the day of the first new moon, on the first of the...

We Want Your Input

We Want Your Input

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In this week's Torah portion, Moses spoke to the people regarding their involvement in building...

When It Counts

When It Counts

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A few years ago, a million-dollar prize went uncollected. The Clay Mathematics Institute offers a...

Clothes Make the Man

Clothes Make the Man

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Clothing is a source of imagery and metaphor throughout the Torah. From the murder of Joseph, when...

Inside and Out

Inside and Out

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What you see is what you get.

Pipelines to Heaven

Pipelines to Heaven

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Rashi, at the beginning of his famous commentary on the Torah, implies that the commandments are...

Did You Hear What He Didn't Say?

Did You Hear What He Didn't Say?

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Yitro is one of the most interesting personalities in the Torah, yet he is rarely discussed. He's...

What Do I Do?

What Do I Do?

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From a practical, physical standpoint, this week's Torah portion begins with something that's hard...

Power of Three

Power of Three

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Three of the Ten Plagues appear in this week's Torah portion. The number three is actually hinted...

Four and Ten

Four and Ten

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When God says to Moses that He is going to bring the Jews out of Egypt, He uses four different...

Limitations and Definitions

Limitations and Definitions

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Every proper noun in the Torah has a meaning. The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mitzrayim, which means...

Twelve Tribes and Months

Twelve Tribes and Months

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The underpinnings of the universe tie together in sets of 12.

Seventy Souls

Seventy Souls

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How many different ways of looking at the same verse in the Torah do you suppose there are? Five?...

Sifting Out the Truth

Sifting Out the Truth

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Joseph has the gift of dream interpretation. This is an usual talent, especially given that Jews...

Leadership Assistant

Leadership Assistant

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In the personalities of the great Biblical personalities, we see patterns. Each had his own...

Conflict and Balance

Conflict and Balance

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From the womb, Jacob was in conflict. It seems this was his destiny. Forced by his mother to sneak...

Understanding the Angels

Understanding the Angels

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Jacob encounters angels in several places, for example during his ladder dream (Genesis 28:12),...

Personal Strengths and Weakness

Personal Strengths and Weakness

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Last week we spoke about the three pillars of existence: Love (pleasure), Strength (goodness) and...

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