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The Biblical Verse on the Liberty Bell

It’s well known that the “Proclaim Liberty throughout the Land, to all the inhabitants thereof!” line inscribed on the historic Liberty Bell in Philadelphia – is a biblical verse from Leviticus.

But it’s quite something else to actually see it … Read the rest

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Doing Drugs – Another Lens

This summer I’m spending 8 Fridays serving on a Grand Jury where cases are presented by the ADA/prosecution teams to confirm that there’s enough evidence to go to trial. Mum is the word, we’re not supposed to share any of … Read the rest

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Like a Rose Among Thorns

A Midrashic description of the biblical Rivka/Rebecca in the house of Lavan/Laban before marrying Isaac is “Like a Rose Among Thorns.”

I thought of this phrase a number of times during my stint at Grand Jury duty on 8 Fridays … Read the rest

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Moses’ Criteria for his Successor

What was Moshe looking for in his successor?

The verse in Parsha Pinchas tells us when Moshe asked about a successor, he addressed G-d as “G-d of the Spirits!”

Now, that’s an unusual expression! Why did Moshe address G-d this … Read the rest

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The Eye That Sees – the Avot Mishna in 2025

It so happens that this week, (especially HT to a tweet by digital artist Ilan Block on Twitter) this Mishna in Avot (Ethics of our Fathers) came to life in most vivid ways:

“Contemplate three things, and you will not … Read the rest

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Lessons from Flooding of July 2025

Unfortunately, flooding is a big news item this July 2025. The July 4th flooding along the Guadalupe River in the Texas claimed 130 lives (including young children at a summer camp, families in trailers, others vacationing etc) with many people … Read the rest

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Is there a Good Flood?

Flooding can be a big problem, it can be a terrible, devastating thing. It can ruin basements, carry away cars or entire homes, and worse, it can be life-threatening. Yes, water is life-giving, it’s a key ingredient of life and … Read the rest

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Tuvia’s Mitzvah Train… and Gimmel Tammuz

On the weekend prior to Gimmel Tammuz (3rd of Tammuz, Rebbe’s Yartzeit) this 5785/2025 we hosted a Galperin Family Reunion Get-Together. Long beautiful story of its own, but that’s why I was sitting on the couch reading books to my … Read the rest

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Tanya in Quarantine

Rabbi Meir Shlomo Yanofsky was the Rebbe’s maternal grandfather. He lived in Nikolayev, (known in Ukraine as Mykolayev) a southern Ukraine city then part of Russia/Soviet Union. Nikolayev is a famous beloved city in Chabad lore thanks to the many … Read the rest

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Seeing Highway Exits as (Torah) Interchanges

We noticed on our road-trip to Toronto that highway exits are not usually called Exits, instead they are more often called “Interchanges”. We assume this is because this is a spot where cars are both exiting and entering the highways. … Read the rest

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