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Jul 22, 2021, 2:09 AM

The meaning of consolation in our times

The Seventeenth day of the Hebrew month of Tamuz marks the beginning of the Three Weeks of Mourning that culminate on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. During this time, Jewish people refrain from several pleasurable...

May 26, 2021, 10:21 AM

Ode to the Jewish Divorcee; The Double-Edged Sword of Loneliness

"And that loneliness is worst of all; I'm sure you will agree." So goes the iconic phrase from Abie Rotenberg’s stirring composition ‘Who Am I’. The truth is, that we all can agree. The pain of loneliness is from the...

Jan 30, 2021, 12:00 AM

“Song” in the Biblical Sense

The Midrash Rabbah (biblical exegesis from ancient Jewish authorities) comments that the Song of the Sea was unique in that “from the time of creation until then, no one had sung to God as the Jews did at that...

Oct 7, 2020, 12:08 AM

Sukkos: The Time of our Happiness and Ecclesiastes

The Jewish holiday of Sukkos is referred to as the “time of our happiness.” One explanation which is given for this is that, historically, farmers would be ushering in their crops at this time of year, and the experience...

Jul 26, 2020, 11:25 PM

The delicate art of rebuke

“Hocheiach Tochiach Es Amisecha V’lo Sisa Alav Cheit; You shall reprove your fellow and do not bear sin because of him (Leviticus, 19, 17).” It is from this verse that we are enjoined to rebuke our fellow Jew upon...

Jun 9, 2020, 9:55 PM

Your Relationship Cannot Start with ‘No’

In a widely circulated video clip that made its rounds a short while before Pesach, Rav Gershon Edelstein shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh, and member of the Moetzes Gedolei Torah of Degel, shared some penetrating parental advice. The Rosh...

May 12, 2020, 9:55 PM

Lag Ba’Omer; The Joy of Rebirth

Jewish law stipulates (Shulchan Aruch OH Chapter 493) that during the days between Passover and the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer one must refrain from a number of pleasurable activities. We may not get married, cut...

May 5, 2020, 6:19 AM

Counting the Omer, the Coronavirus, and ‘Waiting’

We are now in the midst of another course of the counting of the Omer. This is the positive commandment to count the 49 days in between the festivals of Passover and Shavuos. During this time we count verbally...

Apr 28, 2020, 7:52 AM

Are you what you do? Or….

"So, what do you do?" "I'm a doctor. I'm a lawyer. I'm a writer." We are all familiar with such exchanges as they have become commonplace in our daily interactions. It has come to the point that most of us don't...

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About Me

Baruch Weiss is a psychotherapy intern, a Rabbi, and a journalist.

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