An Israeli soldier, who made aliyah only three year ago, was part of a military exercise, of which the Israeli Defense Forces recently released images. He said, “Being Jewish is important to me… being able to give back and defend my people is something that is very important to me.” Not only serving the Jewish people and proudly displaying Jewish culture, but also doing so in happiness and joy, is echoed in this week’s Torah portion. In the Torah portion of Ki Tavo, we learn about …More

This week is Shabbat Nachamu, which translates to the Sabbath of comfort. The name comes from the Haftorah, which speaks about comforting the Jewish people during their time of suffering. This portion is extremely relevant, in light of the continued suffering of the Jewish people as the rise of anti-Semitism continues. This past week the State Department released a report that shows an increasing trend in anti-Semitism. This report, paired with the blatant anti-Israel/Jewish stance of the International Olympic …More

An ongoing debate that has caused some underlying tension within the Jewish community for decades is the sentence against Jonathan Pollard. Similar to Moses in our Torah portion, Jonathan Pollard did something wrong. But the question remains in both situations, was the punishment overly harsh? The Torah portion of Chukat begins by introducing the purpose of the para adumah, the red heifer. After coming in close contact or proximity to the dead, the laws of spiritual impurity hold that one can only become ritually …More

Ever watched “The Ten Commandments” and thought, “Someone should do a remake of this?” Neither have we. That’s not stopping Ridley Scott, however. The “Prometheus” director recently announced he has plans for a biopic following the life of Moses. We’re sure Charlton Heston is thrilled. The rumors surrounding biblical films are growing even farther. Darren Aronofsky, director of “Black Swan,” is working on a movie called “Noah” (can you …More

All too often, gossip and speaking casually about others have become common practice in our daily routine. We recognize and acknowledge the problems with Lashon Hara, derogatory speech about another, but we tend to completely ignore it when the subject is a celebrity. This extends not only to our fascination with celebrity gossip, but also gossip made public between celebrities. This past week, singer John Mayer, who has said he relates to Judaism and whose father is Jewish, was publically humiliated as Taylor …More

Being able to two-step like one of Judaism’s most revered figures may not be the secret wish of most bar mitzvah boys, but the men of Pella Productions certainly make a good case for it. The a cappella group, which is famous (at least around our office) for its parodied Jewish tunes, has released its own rendition of a Maroon 5 hit, with “Moves Like Moses.” The song could very well have been a cheesy knockoff, but catchy lyrics and some awesome backflips make the video a must see for the …More

Ruining “Indiana Jones” and “Jurassic Park” is not enough for Steven Spielberg. The insatiable fella has heard he’s a legend one too many times, and is now set to stomp all over history (again) in a Moses biopic for Warner Brothers. Before this deal gets engraved on stone tablets, we just want to examine the facts: The last truly great Moses film was Cecile B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments,” released in glorious VistaVision in 1956. Yes, we’re talking about …More

Steven Spielberg is in talks to direct a movie about the life of Moses. The film, "Gods and Kings," is based on a script by Michael Green and Stuart Hazeldine. According to reports, Spielberg has entered formal talks with Warner Bros. to be the film's director. Spielberg, 64, an Academy Award winner for "Schindler's List" and other films, also is known for his involvement in Jewish causes, particularly through his work with the Shoah Foundation, which collects video testimonials from Holocaust survivors. …More

An interesting query comes from Gerald M. Siegel, professor emeritus in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He writes: Actually, there has been a wide gamut of rabbinical interpretations of the Hebrew words kvad peh, heavy of mouth, and kvad lashon, heavy of tongue, by which Moses describes himself. If that of stutterer has become the most accepted, this is probably because it is found in the 11th-century commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Yitchaki or Rashi, the most …More

Reformed hip-hop star Shyne is collaborating with Hasidic Jewish rapper Matisyahu for his next album. The Belizean-born star converted to Judaism after walking free from prison in 2009, having served almost nine years of a 10-year sentence for opening fire at a 1999 party. He legally changed his name from Jamal Michael Barrow to Moses Michael Levi and moved to Jerusalem, Israel, where he observes the strict Jewish faith of Chasidism. His newfound religious faith led to a meeting with Matisyahu and the two pals …More