The Golden Calf as Hysteresis
לע”נ אמי מורתי רחל ב”ר דוד ע”ה The sin of the Golden Calf is among the most bewildering episodes in the Torah. A people who
March 8, 2026 / 19 Adar 5786
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egypt
Joseph’s Birth—A View From Quantum Mechanics and Biology
And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. (Genesis 30:21) In my previous essay, “The Conflict Between Joseph And His Brothers—A Gender
December 23, 2020 / 8 Tevet 5781
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The Conflict Between Joseph And His Brothers—A Gender Theory
The confrontation between Joseph and his brothers is one of the most troubling stories of the Bible. Joseph and his brother—twelve sons of Jacob—were the
December 20, 2020 / 5 Tevet 5781
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Counting Weeks and Days
There is a Biblical Commandment to count the days between the Passover and Shavuot, the “Feast of Weeks” (a.k.a. Pentecost). We start counting on the
April 28, 2020 / 4 Iyyar 5780
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The Puzzle of Pi
March 14 is celebrated by nerds around the world as the Pi Day. When written in digits, 3/14 represents first three digits of the number
March 14, 2019 / 7 Adar II 5779
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Passover Seder—The Arrow of Time
The Passover Seder is called seder, i.e., “order” not without a reason. It is a highly structured and orchestrated ceremony that follows the ancient script—Passover
March 30, 2018 / 14 Nisan 5778
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Dreams of Pharaoh—A Lesson in Symmetry
In the Torah portion Miketz, Pharaoh has two dreams. He wakes up agitated and calls on all the wise men of Egypt to interpret his
December 16, 2017 / 28 Kislev 5778
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Joseph teaches Pharaoh a lesson in fundamental forces
This week, we read in the Torah portion Vayigash (Gen. 44:18–47:27) about Joseph revealing himself to his brothers and Jacob coming to Egypt with his family. This
December 20, 2015 / 8 Tevet 5776
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Balak – Interference of Souls
Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. Moab became terrified of the people, for they were numerous, and
July 8, 2015 / 21 Tammuz 5775
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The End of Days I
In this Torah portion, Vayechi, Jacob, gathers his children to reveal to them “Ketz HaYamim”–“the End of Days.” Rashi explains that Jacob’s intention was to
January 2, 2015 / 11 Tevet 5775
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From Purim to Passover
The Shulchan Aruch – the Code of Jewish Law – states that 30 days before Pesach (Passover) one needs to start learning the laws of
April 19, 2014 / 19 Nisan 5774
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Splitting of the Sea
Do you like riddles? Here is a riddle – what do these two figures represent in the context of Exodus? No Idea? How about
January 12, 2014 / 11 Shevat 5774
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It’s the Time, Stupid!
There is a continuous thread about the mastery of time that weaves through the last chapters of the book of Genesis (Bereshit) and continues through
December 31, 2013 / 28 Tevet 5774
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Interpreting Dreams
In the Torah portion Vayeishev (Gen. 37:1–40:23), we read about Joseph interpreting dreams of the Pharaoh’s chief butler and the chief baker: And the chief butler told
November 24, 2013 / 21 Kislev 5774
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Passover, Shabbat and the Principle of Least Action
There is hardly a Jewish holiday more widely celebrated than Passover (Pesach). Jews of all denominations, affiliations, and levels of religious observance, if any at
March 31, 2013 / 20 Nisan 5773
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