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Jun 24, 2026, 10:19 PM

Chukat Balak: The Apple and the Parshah

The thoughts Behind the Apple - Grok XAI

The Apple and the Parshah Ever hear of the fruit tree? It’s an amazing invention, isn’t it? I’m sitting here trying to get myself into a topic to speak about, and as I ponder the first words and find myself stuck, I pick...

Stephen M. Flatow

Jun 22, 2026, 7:35 AM

From Casals to Cage Fights

From JFK and Pablo Casals to Trump and UFC, the White House guest list has become a revealing measure of presidential taste, national dignity and America’s idea of greatness. There was a time when the White House knew the difference between a national stage and...

Joseph C. Kaplan

Jun 18, 2026, 11:59 PM

That Best Portion of a Person’s Life

A few short weeks after my back surgery, my wife, Sharon, had toe surgery, leaving us with a total of two good feet between us. The surgeries brought us closer together in one way, since, after mine, she drove me around wherever we had to...

Jun 18, 2026, 10:30 PM

Witnessing the Invisible: A Frontline Perspective on Trauma and Resilience

Listening to a veteran Israeli journalist is a reminder that psychological wounds remain terrifyingly invisible.

I work in trauma every single day, but hearing a veteran Israeli journalist share his frontline experiences was a stark reminder of just how deeply these invisible wounds run. What I know about psychological injury has not changed, but the magnitude of it. Supporting the...

Jun 17, 2026, 6:54 PM

Korach: The Premature Flow

Eye on the Vision - Grok XAI

Korach 5786 – David Lemmer “Yidden, come together, the day of your redemption has come!” “Yidden, sons of Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov, the One you have yearned for has shown!” These are the words you will hear in the near future. And when...

Jun 10, 2026, 8:20 PM

Shelach: The Meraglims’ Identity Crisis

The Narrow Pipe of Identity - Grok XAI

Bamidbar 13:3: “…all are men, leaders of the children of Israel, they are.” Rashi notes that “men” refers to kosher people, people of high regard, stature, and of course, proper character. Boys don’t simply become men because they had their Bar Mitzvah. They may rise...

Jun 2, 2026, 8:51 PM

Behaalotecha: The Uni in Uniqueness

Unified Flames on the Menorah - Grok XAI

We all love revolutionary ideas, but the truth is that there is nothing new under the sun. We can only come into new understandings of the existing. Technology is just a result of the information gathered over time and the use of its execution. Once...

Stephen M. Flatow

Jun 2, 2026, 7:58 PM

Kennedy Feared Embarrassing the Presidency. Does Trump?

John F. Kennedy understood something that Donald Trump still has not learned. Before agreeing to let filmmaker Robert Drew’s camera crew follow him for what became Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment, Kennedy reportedly set down a condition: “If you embarrass the presidency, you’re out. If...

Stephen M. Flatow

May 29, 2026, 6:47 PM

When the Mayor Refuses to March With the Jews

New York’s mayor does not have to agree with every Israeli government policy to march in the Israel Day Parade. But when he refuses to stand with Jewish New Yorkers at one of their most visible public celebrations, he confirms exactly what many in the...

May 28, 2026, 8:49 PM

Naso: Lifelong Root and Path

The Motherboard of Creation - Grok XAI

When you tell yourself, “I can do this all my life!” this is your vision talking. It is imperative that you develop an awareness of hearing yourself say such words. When you catch yourself in that moment, you will be able to identify the feeling...

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