Sruli Fruchter, at The Blogs

Oct 16, 2022, 4:29 PM

Parshat V’Zot HaBeracha: The End of Moshe

Any book lover knows how attached one grows to characters. Engrossed in their lives—from the trivial plot points to the grandiose character arcs—we form an intimacy with them, and the relationship becomes real. It is similar for TV shows,...

Oct 7, 2022, 1:44 PM

Parshat Ha’azinu: The Shapeshifting Torah

When one reads a text, there is what the text says and what one says the text says. For proponents of Reader Response Theory, the two are not dissimilar; if an idea is found in the text, however loose,...

Sep 30, 2022, 6:55 PM

Parshat Vayelech: The Courage of Hope

Accepting poor circumstances comes with an exhausted sigh of relief. Though the situation may be disappointing or disastrous, solidifying the liquid unknown creates a stand for us to perch upon. We take comfort in the known. Acceptance is by...

Sep 23, 2022, 5:52 PM

Parshat Nitzavim: Agency and Autonomy

Navigating the journey of life “without a religious tradition is like trying to cross open country without a path,” Antonio García Martínez writes. “You can do so, but you’ll do lots of stumbling and very likely lose your way.”...

Sep 16, 2022, 7:27 PM

Parshat Ki Tavo: The Collective Narrative

In Kabbalah, our perception of the world is understood to be defined by pirud, separation. Reality is fragmented, composed of disjointed parts that exist alongside one another but completely apart from one another. Joseph and Sally share no inherent...

Sep 9, 2022, 4:21 PM

Ki Teitzei: The Most Vulnerable Among Us

It is an unfortunate reality that inequality permeates our reality so strongly that, to many, it is considered an inevitable misfortune of life that lacks resolution. Acceptance of injustice grants complacency the rite of passage to lay its anchor....

Sep 2, 2022, 6:44 PM

Parshat Shoftim: Authority, Accountability, and Courage

Authority, by design, entrusts power to individuals or a body of individuals, placing the “right” of leadership and decision-making into a select space. Structures are important. They control the volatility of chaos and anarchy and transform them into a...

Aug 26, 2022, 8:11 PM

Parshat Re’eh: The Blessing of Purpose

Personal power is born from purpose. A task, a duty, a mission, grounds us with responsibility. It directs us toward an end and entrusts us to discover the mean. Purpose is the air of humanity’s sense of self—in its...

Aug 19, 2022, 6:53 AM

Parshat Eikev: The Soul, the Blessing, and the Sandwich

If asked to list spiritual activities, we would all likely procure the same list: praying, singing, meditating, walking in nature, or something else that brings feelings of awe: the state of transcendence when, for a moment of eternity, our...

Aug 12, 2022, 6:16 AM

Parshat Vaetchanan: Seeing One Another

Private moments hold an intimate quality to them. Privacy is born from seclusion—whether by intent or chance—from others. In that space, where two selves face one another, the intense presence felt between them is intimacy. The conversations, the laugh,...

About Me

Sruli Fruchter is a senior at Yeshiva University studying International and Global Affairs. He is passionate about Torah, self-growth, and bringing Hashem into every aspect of our lives. Sruli has vast experience in international relations, is the Editor in Chief of The Commentator, and the Host of the Soul Life Podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.