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Mark Frankel

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Jun 2, 2026, 5:41 PM

My Jewish Journey. Your Mileage Will Vary.

We all have a Jewish journey. The details are always different. Here is mine. I grew up in a Conservative home. I went to Hebrew school. I attended High Holiday services, though mostly I stood outside with my friends. Our...

May 28, 2026, 8:46 PM

Beyond BT: A Home for Every Jew on the Journey

Every Jew is somewhere on a Jewish journey. Some are just beginning. Some have been at it for decades. The site Beyond BT has been a home for Jews on that journey for many years. BT is short for Baal...

May 28, 2026, 4:01 AM

The Pleasure of Choosing What You Eat

You have reached for food many times without being hungry. The handful from the bowl on the counter. The second helping you took without thinking. Not because you have no discipline. Because something pulled you, and you ate before...

May 19, 2026, 6:23 PM

The Event That Shaped How People Think About God

This Thursday night Jews around the world celebrate Shavuos, the holiday marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Whatever your beliefs, the event is worth thinking about. About three million people gathered at a mountain in the desert...

May 14, 2026, 11:06 PM

Countering the Pull of Lethargy

There are four pulls that keep us from acting the way we want to. Self-centeredness, distraction, lethargy, and pleasure-seeking. The pull of lethargy is the hardest to see, and it shows up clearly in how we handle anger. You know...

May 7, 2026, 4:25 AM

Countering the Pull of Distraction

Last week we named four pulls that work against every good intention. The second was distraction. Not carelessness. The quiet fact that your mind is somewhere else before you are finished, and the moment is gone before it lands. Distraction...

Apr 30, 2026, 9:59 PM

Countering the Pull of Self-Centeredness

Last week we named four pulls that work against every good intention. The first was self-centeredness. Not selfishness. The quiet fact that you are the center of your own story, in the here and now, and every choice that...

Apr 24, 2026, 1:29 AM

The Four Pulls That Work Against You

A general rule of reality is: The body wants what feels good. The ego wants what looks good. The soul wants what is good. Most of the time, the soul loses. You already know this. You know what you should eat,...

Apr 16, 2026, 10:12 PM

Said Correctly, Meant Not at All

The Ramchal opens the Mesillas Yesharim with a demand most sefarim skip. Before he discusses a single practice, before mussar or middos or avodah, he insists on something else first: "The foundation of piety and the root of perfect service...

Apr 7, 2026, 7:25 AM

Most people know two things about Passover: the seder that opens it and the holiday that closes it a week later. What happens in between is less well known. Those days are called Chol HaMoed, the intermediate days. Not quite...

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About Me

Mark Frankel has integrated his passion for outreach, community, and education by running beyondbt.com for BTs, shulpolitcs.com for making Shuls incredible, infograsp.com for cloud based school management and brevedy.com for making learning faster, easier and more retainable.