Especially in this age of celebrity worship, we raise our own standards of spiritual aspirations by setting up role-models who personify the values we most admire. Tzarror vs. Nekom The very worst of Midyan rises to the fore at the end of ParshatBallak. With the help from Billam they identify the core of Israel's might: It is in its moral fiber. Armed with this insight Midyan attacks the essence of Jewish morality, the exclusive intimacy of its family life and its relationship to God (both highlighted in Billam's exquisiteMah Tovu Ohalecha Yisrael prophecy, now the opening of..

Contaminating Flavors Gourmet chefs know how flavors retained in the walls of their cooking utensils can contaminate dishes. Cultures such as the Japanese, with highly developed taste senses, will often keep their utensils for specific foods and wash them up separately.  We too are sensitive to flavor, but as the Nation of Hashem, we are more concerned about the pollutant flavors of Issur and Tumah (two different forms of negative spiritual energy that can attach to food and utensils) than we are about culinary contamination. Hashem teaches Benei Yisraelin th..

Disproportionality and Culpability Through all the media clutter surrounding the sad and worrying events in Eretz Yisrael, there are two key moral-legal themes. The first is the issue of proportionality in International Law. International law allows sovereign states to protect and defend themselves against attack. It is internationally acknowledged that Hezbollah initiated hostilities and that Israel has the right to respond with force. The question is whether or not the Israeli response is disproportionate to the provocation. The second theme is around culpability: In what way are the..