J.J Gross

Apply for a Blog

Jul 10, 2025, 9:08 PM

Why curse when a blessing would achieve the desired result? (Parshat Balak)

וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ I will bless those who bless you and curse the one who curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.” Bereishit/Genesis 12:3 וְעַתָּה֩ לְכָה־נָּ֨א אָֽרָה־לִּ֜י אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֗ה...

Jun 29, 2025, 4:55 PM

The Spiritual Big Bang, plus Two Strikes and Moshe and Aharon are Out (Hukkat)

The purification ritual known as Parah Adumah, using the ashes of a red heifer, is considered the Torah’s greatest mystery. No explanation is given, nor is there any inherent logic to this exotic ceremony. Especially bizarre is the fact...

Jun 16, 2025, 1:11 PM

Why “שלח לך” when “שלח” alone would be sufficient? (Parshat Shelah)

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ Bereishit 12:1 וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים Bamidbar 13:1-2 The curious addition of a seemingly superfluous לְךָ in both Bereishit, when God tells Avram to go to Canaan, and in Bamidbar, when God tells Moshe to send spies...

Jun 10, 2025, 2:33 PM

About that shortage of meat in the desert … (Parshat Beha’alotkha )

וַוַיַּעֲשׂ֣וּ אֶת־הַפֶּ֡סַח בָּרִאשׁ֡וֹן בְּאַרְבָּעָה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֥וֹם לַחֹ֛דֶשׁ בֵּ֥ין הָעַרְבַּ֖יִם בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר סִינָ֑י כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֵּ֥ן עָשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ And they offered the Passover sacrifice in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in...

Jun 8, 2025, 6:29 PM

To understand the depth of haredi contempt for Israel, read the fine print

There are a minority of haredim who actually support the idea of Israel as a Jewish state. There are even a handful who would wish to serve in the IDF were it not for catastrophic social and familial consequence...

Jun 4, 2025, 1:55 PM

The sublime connection between our parsha and its haftarah (Naso)

The haftara to Parshat Naso is lifted from Sefer Shoftim/Judges 13:2-25. Haftarot, as we all know, are excerpts from the Neviim (Prophets) that echo in some manner the week’s Torah reading. Parhsat Naso, which contains the largest number of verses...

May 26, 2025, 7:21 PM

Merciful to the Wicked, Wicked to the Merciful: Haredi Draft (Parshat Bamidbar)

Last week, in a dvar Torah given by a haredi friend on an unrelated matter, he referenced the following, well known, quote of R’ Eliezer in the Midrash Tanhuma כל שנעשה רחמן על האכזרים, לסוף נעשה אכזר על רחמנים Whoever is...

May 20, 2025, 12:23 PM

Of Sabbaticals, a Peripatetic Mishkan, and Bottomless Hunger (Behar/Behukotai)

Parshat Behar opens with the issue of Shemittah, the Sabbatical year about which I have written before and of which I will write again ( ). Our world is hurtling ever-more rapidly into 24/7-ism, whereby no day of rest is...

May 14, 2025, 9:41 PM

“אמר” is not “לאמר”: Parshat Emor

The use of “אמר” vs “לאמר” The very word אמר “emor” for which this parsha is named, and which appears twice in the parsha, is unusual. The opening verse says; וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א...

May 5, 2025, 10:47 PM

Of Fires, Faces and Fields. Knowing Our Outer Limits: Aharei Mot-Kedoshim

And the Lord spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon's two sons, when they drew near before the Lord, and they died. ויְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוָֹה֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה אַֽחֲרֵ֣י מ֔וֹת שְׁנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י אַֽהֲרֹ֑ן בְּקָרְבָתָ֥ם לִפְנֵֽי־יְהוָֹ֖ה וַיָּמֻֽתוּ And the Lord said to Moshe: Speak...

Load more

About Me

J.J Gross is a veteran copywriter and creative director who made aliyah in 2007 from New York. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the son of Holocaust survivors from Hungary and Slovakia.

Contact Me