The utopian Garden of Eden came crashing down because Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. What was it about this fruit that they could not withstand? This is how the Torah describes it in chapter 4 of Genesis: “The tree was good for food and it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise.” Very interesting description for a fruit! So here is my 2021 perspective, after all the Torah is eternal and its message is as pertinent in our time as it was back then. Our very risky fruit is the iPhone... I certainly don’t mean to offend the iPhone whom I love and depend on... I mean all smart phones. They are a delight for our eyes. Our eyes light up when we get a new text, a new email, a new like on a Facebook post etc. They are desirable to us they are exciting and they make us wise, it can be so enjoyable. Yet it can also be dangerous.... G-d turns to Adam and says where are you and he says I was hiding... Yup, his smart phone has started to take o...
You go to a doctor to guide you about which foods are healthy for the body. Which ones strengthen you and which weaken you even if they taste good and the effects are not felt immediately, the doctor knows that those sugary unhealthy foods are not building your wellness. How do you know what the nutritional needs of your soul are? Do souls even have nutritional needs? Kosher is that diet. Designed for the Jewish soul by its Maker. It nurtures Jewish sensitivity and faith, happiness and connection. So why kosher? It’s the diet tailor made for your soul by its maker! Enjoy! Rabbi Menachem Mendel Bluming is a rabbi in Potomac, Maryland since 2000
The choice of words the Torah employs to describe the role of the spouse — "a helper against him" — seems contradictory. If a wife is supposed to serve as a helper to her husband, she is obviously not poised "against him?" Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains that the woman becomes a "helper" for her husband by sometimes being against him. For a husband to become the maximum he can be, he must profess the courage to welcome the ideas and feelings of his spouse which may be "against" his own. Some men cannot tolerate their wives disagreeing with them, and conversely, some women cannot handle another opinion. They grow angry and frustrated, exploding or imploding. What often transpires, as a result, is that the woman, or the man, in order to maintain a peaceful atmosphere in the home, remain silent. Or, to avoid confrontation, they just drift away from each other emotionally. Conversely, the arguments and fighting never cease. The Torah is ...