JOI to the World

📖 Parshat Emor This Week: Three times a year, the Jewish people made pilgrimage to the Temple, walking the same ancient stones, going uphill, literally 'oleh regel,' ascending for the festival. This week's parsha calls the holidays 'mikra'ei kodesh,' holy convocations. Why do they need to be 'called' or announced? Because unlike Shabbat, which becomes holy automatically, holidays require us to make them holy.

We establish the calendar. We declare the new month. Even if we miscalculate, that becomes the official date. The message? You have agency in your spiritual life. Don't wait for holiness to happen to...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a question many people ask: What is the best way to get started in wanting to be more involved in Jewish life? The answer is refreshingly simple and accessible.

Luckily, Judaism is not all or nothing. It's better to do something than to do nothing at all. While that might sound obvious, it's not the way many Jews approach Judaism. I hear people say all the time, "Rabbi, why should I light Shabbat can...

📖 Parshat Achrei Mot This Week: Orthodox Jewish men look scruffy right now; we're in the Omer mourning period for Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students who died in a plague. Why mourn them for over a month when we don't mourn anyone else in Jewish history this way? This week's parsha about Aharon's sons offers insight. The Talmud says whoever properly mourns Aharon's sons is guaranteed forgiveness on Yom Kippur.

Why them specifically? Both Aharon's sons and Rabbi Akiva's students died in their prime. We don't mourn death itself; we believe in reunion. We mourn lost potential. When someone dies young, the...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, we answer a question about a distinctive Jewish practice: Why do some Jewish women cover their hair? For this episode, my wife Sarah Lehrfield shares her personal perspective as a Jewish woman who covers her hair. Sarah explains that hair covering marks a significant transition in a woman's life as she enters marriage. The unification of souls is an essential part of this transition, which for centuries and even today involves the first experiences with intimacy.

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I address a profound spiritual question: Why does God want some distance? Even when we draw close with broken hearts in prayer, why does God remain hidden? I explore this concept through the lens of Purim, where God is famously hidden throughout the entire story. In the Book of Esther, which we read on Purim, God's name is never mentioned explicitly. Yet our sages tell us the name is there, hidden. Every time the text says "HaMelech" (the...

Parshat Shemini This Week: The Torah gives us kashrut, laws about what we can and cannot eat. But it’s not just about food.

We are what we consume. What we surround ourselves with. The people we follow, the music we listen to, the movies we watch, and the social media we scroll—all of it is absorbed through osmosis into our personalities, our psyches, and our souls.

Often, we don’t even realize the effect it’s having on us. Kashrut reminds us: what you imbibe affects who you become. Before you scroll, ask: Is this nou...

📖 Parshat Tzav This Week: Last week's Vayikra covered the big concepts behind sacrifices: the philosophy and the meaning. This week? Tzav gets unromantic. It's all the nitty-gritty details: how the kohen actually performs the service day in and day out. No drama. No inspiration. Just showing up.

The Korban Tamid—the daily offering—is mentioned specifically because it represents consistency. Not the days you feel spiritually high. Not when it's easy. But the 'ugh, another day' moments. When you show up anyway. When you do it, even when you don't feel like it. That's when it's real. Inspiration comes a...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle an excellent paradox: The Torah explicitly states that one is prohibited from adding or subtracting from the mitzvot. So how then do rabbinic mitzvot come to be? Isn't that adding to the Torah? You're correct that the Torah forbids us from adding or detracting from it, and both adding and detracting are equally problematic. Your question is so good that the Rambam (Maimonides) himself asks it: How did the rabbis make fences for the Torah? Isn't that add...

📖 Parshat Vayikra This Week: At a YU commencement, Rachel Goldberg-Polin said, "Judaism is not about what you think. It isn't about what you learn. It isn't about what you say. Judaism is about what you do.' 

The sacrifices in this parsha seem archaic, but here's what we can connect to: when something was wrong, you didn't just feel bad; you brought an offering. You took action. You noted that something was out of alignment and needs to change. 

Today, when we're stuck, when we mess up, when we need to transition, thinking about it isn't enoug...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a question that surprises many people: Do Jews believe in reincarnation? The short answer is yes. Judaism does believe in the concept of gilgul neshamot (reincarnation of souls), according to many of our sages.

Practically all of us alive today are reincarnations of previous souls and lives. What this means is that if a person, for whatever reason, did not fulfill their purpose in this world during their lifetime, they get to try again. I kno...

📖 Parshat Pekudei This Week: The Mishkan is complete. Donations poured in. Gold, silver, and precious materials. But then the Torah does something unexpected: it provides a detailed accounting of every single donation. Wait, why? Nobody was accusing Moshe of embezzlement. Because inspiration is intoxicating. When we're caught up in a mission that feels good, we can skip the details, assuming 'if it feels right, it must be right. ' The Torah says, "Pause." Slow down. Account for everything. Make sure nothing slipped through. Inspiration without accountability is dangerous. Feel inspired, yes, but stay rational. Check the details. Ensure integrity. Even the...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a question many people ask: What is the best way to get started in wanting to be more involved in Jewish life? The answer might surprise you with how accessible and flexible it actually is.

Luckily, Judaism is not all or nothing. It's better to do something than to do nothing at all. While that might sound obvious, it's not the way many Jews approach Judaism. I hear people say all the time, "Rabbi, why sho...

📖 Parshat Ki Tisa This Week: Immediately after the highest spiritual moment in history, receiving the Torah directly from God at Mount Sinai, comes the Golden Calf, one of the lowest points in Jewish history. How does that happen? How do you fall so far, so fast? The lesson: inspiration is not permanent. That spiritual high, that moment of clarity, that burst of motivation it fades. Always. And if you're not ready for that, the fall can be steep. If the Jewish people at Mount Sinai could sink so quickly, we certainly can. So when inspiration strikes, act immediately. Do something con...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer one of the most common misconceptions about Jewish law: Can a person with a tattoo be buried in a Jewish cemetery? The short answer is yes - even someone with a tattoo can absolutely be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

That's not to say tattoos are condoned by Judaism. The Torah (the Bible) makes it very clear that it is forbidden to get a tattoo. But why? I explain that we look at our...

📖 Parshat Tetzaveh This Week: Jews have long been in the 'schmatta business,' not just a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel stereotype but reality. Many Jewish fashion icons trace their roots to the garment industry. Why this connection? Look at this week's parsha: an entire Torah portion obsessed with what the Kohen Gadol wears, not what he does, but what he wears. The subtle point: before serving God, the kohen must feel the weight of responsibility. His clothing reminds him he represents something bigger than himself. Same for us. Jews have always dressed differently, not for fashion but as a uniform showing we...

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Welcome to Zero Percent, the podcast that explores the outsized impact of the Jewish people! 🌟Vietnam veteran and healthcare entrepreneur Stephen Rosedale built one of America's largest post-acute care systems, but his most defining moments happened long before that. In this episode, Stephen shares how a chance encounter in college led him to Israel, how combat in Vietnam forged an unbreakable promise to be his "brother's keeper," and how a single tap on the shoulder at a bar mitzvah changed his life at 47.
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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a persistent stereotype: Where did the idea come from that all Jews are rich? I can assure you it's not true in my case, and we all know Jews who are wealthy and Jews who are struggling, just like all of society. But the origin of this stereotype reveals something profound about Jewish values. I share a fascinating insight from Mark Twain, who once wrote an article addressing the root causes of antisemitism.

Whi...

📖 Parshat Terumah This Week: God doesn't need a palace. He doesn't need gold, silver, or a physical home. So why command us to build the Mishkan? Because WE need it. We're physical beings living in a material world, constantly absorbed in the tangible. God is teaching us: you can elevate it all. Don't think you're 'too materialistic' or 'too physical' to be spiritual. Take those physical materials, gold, wood, and fabric, and make me a home. By doing so, you remind yourself that you're truly spiritual inside. Everything at your disposal can become holy. Your work, your home, and your rel...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a crucial question: Is there anything wrong with buying a mezuzah online or at a gift shop? The answer might surprise you and could save you from making an expensive mistake. 

First, let me clarify we're talking about the mezuzah scroll itself (the parchment inside), not the decorative case. A mezuzah case doesn't have any inherent holiness and can be purchased anywhere you'd like. But the scroll inside is a completely different matter. 

It's...

📖 Parshat Mishpatim This Week: Right after the drama of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the Torah shifts to... civil law. Rules about damages, loans, workers' rights, and caring for the vulnerable. Why the sudden shift? Because the Torah is teaching us that spirituality isn't just prayer and study; it's how you treat your neighbor, your employee, the stranger. Being godly means not doing to others what you wouldn't want done to you. It means being kind, gentle, and caring. Judaism's foundation isn't mystical experiences; it's ethical living. You want to serve God? Pay your workers on time. Return lost pro...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a persistent stereotype: Where did the idea come from that all Jews are rich? I can assure you it's not true in my case, and we all know Jews who are wealthy and Jews who are struggling, just like all of society. But the origin of this stereotype reveals something profound about Jewish values. I share a fascinating insight from Mark Twain, who once wrote an article addressing the root causes of antisemitism.

Whi...

📖 Parshat Yitro This Week: When listing qualifications for judges, the Torah mentions capable, God-fearing, truthful, and last, 'hates gain' (integrity). Why last? Shouldn't integrity be first? The Torah teaches us that corruption rarely starts with bad people. It starts with good people making small compromises. Then another. Then another. Slowly, those compromises erode moral character until integrity is gone. We're all susceptible; you can be capable, well-intentioned, even truthful, and still become morally corrupt through incremental compromises. The warning is clear: stay vigilant. Guard your integrity fiercely. Don't rationalize 'just this once. 'The slippery slope is real, and good people sli...

📖 Parshat Beshalach This Week: Trapped between the Egyptian army and the sea, the people pray desperately. God's response? 'Move forward.' But the sea doesn't split until Nachshon ben Aminadav steps in. Water to his ankles. His knees. His waist. His shoulders. Only when it reaches his nostrils does the sea miraculously part. This is Jewish faith, not blind belief, but active trust. God waits for us to take the first step, to show we're invested, that we care enough to act. Then He meets us there. It's a partnership: we do our utmost, step into the water even when we...

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Welcome to Zero Percent, the podcast that explores the outsized impact of the Jewish people! 🌟

Join us as Robin Chotin shares her deeply moving journey of Jewish philanthropy alongside her late husband, Stephen, of blessed memory, whose impact on Denver's Jewish community remains unparalleled. Discover how Robin's parents quietly instilled a sense of responsibility through their actions rather than words, teaching her that "if you are blessed in this world, if you have the capacity to be able to help other people, then it's w...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a question many people wonder about: What's up with the Jewish calendar? Why was Hanukkah on December 2nd one year, late December another year, and even overlapped with Thanksgiving a few years ago? Why does this calendar seem so different from the regular calendar we use?

I explain that here in America and most of the Western world, we use the Gregorian calendar, which is purely solar at 365.2524 days. Other cultures use lunar calendars, like Isl...

📖 Parshat Bo This Week: Before leaving Egypt, God commands the Israelites to take a lamb, Egypt's deity tie it to their bedposts, then slaughter it as the Korban Pesach. Why specifically a lamb? Because freedom requires letting go of competing allegiances. The Egyptians worshiped lambs. To become God's people, the Israelites had to publicly reject what Egypt held sacred, releasing the Egyptian mentality, culture, and false gods that once defined them. Only then could they embrace true freedom. We all carry 'lambs', old identities, toxic beliefs, relationships that no longer serve us. Real liberation isn't just escaping physical bondage; it's rel...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a fascinating question: Why does the Jewish concept of a day start at sundown instead of midnight or sunrise like most modern calendars? As Jews, we do tend to do things differently, and this includes how we mark time - but there's profound wisdom behind it.

I explain that in the biblical narrative of creation, throughout every day of creation, the Torah states: "And it was evening, and it was morning - day one..,. and it...

📖 Parshat Vaeira This Week: The plague of frogs was relentless, croaking everywhere, no escape from the noise. Why? Midah k'neged midah, measure for measure. For 210 years of slavery, Egyptians chose silence. They knew what was happening but kept their heads down, saying, 'not my problem.' So God sent a plague they couldn't ignore, constant, inescapable noise. We've seen this pattern repeat: Holocaust neighbors who 'didn't know' what was happening miles away. Today, people are ignoring oppression worldwide, Iranian protesters risking everything for freedom, while others stay silent. The Torah's message is clear: silence in the face of injustice isn't neu...

📖 Parshat Vayigash This Week: 'I am Yosef, your brother.' Imagine the shock. The brothers stand before Egypt's viceroy, and suddenly realize it's the brother they sold into slavery years ago, assumed dead. This is Yosef's moment to unleash years of justified anger, to make them grovel, to remind them of their betrayal. But he doesn't. Instead, he says: 'Don't feel bad. This was all part of God's plan.' The self-restraint. The perspective. The spiritual maturity to see divine orchestration in his deepest trauma. Yosef teaches us: we can't always control what happens to us, but we can always con...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a fundamental question about prayer: What's the point if God already knows what I need? Are we trying to change God's mind? The answer reveals that worship is far more sophisticated than simply presenting God with an Amazon wish list.

I explain that God already knows what we need, and if He's determined something isn't good for us, no amount of asking will change that - just like a parent won't give a thr...

📖 Parshat Mikeitz This Week: Yosef names his sons in revealing order. First, Menashe 'nashani Elokim', God made me forget the troubles of my past. Second, Efraim 'ki hifrani', God made me fruitful in this land. The order matters: forget first, flourish second. Yosef had every reason to stay bitter, betrayed by brothers, falsely imprisoned, and forgotten for years. But he chose to release the past before building his future. You can't construct a tower on a shaky foundation of resentment, trauma, and unprocessed pain. Sometimes moving forward requires letting go, not denying what happened, but refusing to let it define wha...

In Part 1, we laid out questions: Why does the Midrash connect Greece to the "horn of an ox"? Why is Yosef described by Moshe using that imagery? Why does Yosef's rise to power in Egypt matter for understanding Chanukah?

Now we return to put the pieces together.Chanukah always falls during the Torah portions that tell the story of Yosef, and that timing isn't coincidental. In this episode, we explore what Yosef's journey—his success in a foreign empire, his beauty, his ability to navigate power—teaches us about the Chanukah struggle with Greece. What does it mean to s...

Chanukah always falls during the Torah portions that tell the story of Yosef, but the connection is rarely explored directly. In this episode, I do something simple: I ask questions.Why does the Midrash connect Greece to the “horn of an ox”? Why is Yosef described by Moshe using that imagery? Why does Yosef’s rise to power in Egypt matter for understanding Chanukah? And what is Chanukah really teaching about success, leadership, and where power comes from?This episode is intentionally open-ended. It lays out the questions and the sources without rushing to conclusions. In Part 2, we’ll return to these...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a fascinating question about Jewish pronunciation: Why do some people say "Shabbos" while others say "Shabbat"? Is Shabbos actually Yiddish? The answer reveals a deeper story about Jewish history, migration, and the diversity within the Jewish people.

I explain that both "Shabbos" and "Shabbat" are equally Hebrew - the difference comes from where Jews historically lived. Ashkenazi Jews (from Eastern European descent - the word literally means Germany) tend to say "Shabbos," while Sep...

📖 Parshat Vayeishev This Week: Yosef's life is a rollercoaster, sold into slavery, rises in Potiphar's house, wrongly imprisoned, and becomes Egypt's viceroy. Through every high and low, one thing remains constant: success. What's his secret? The Torah repeatedly states, 'God was with Yosef,' but more importantly, Potiphar saw that God was with him. Yosef's success wasn't hidden faith; it was visible godliness. People encountered God through encountering Yosef. This is Kiddush Hashem, living so that others see the Divine radiating through you. It's not just what you believe privately; it's how your actions, integrity, and character reveal God's presence pub...

In this week's Parshat POV, we explore Parshat Vayeshev, one of the Torah's most dramatic narratives. Just as Jacob thinks he can finally settle down and find peace, his life takes the most challenging turn yet. The portion follows Joseph's descent from favored son to enslaved prisoner, sold by his jealous brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, and thrown into an Egyptian dungeon. Woven into this drama is the mysterious story of Judah and Tamar, which seems out of place but reveals profound lessons about leadership and accountability. Through the parallel narratives of Joseph and Judah, we discover a powerful...

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a fundamental question about prayer: What's the point if God already knows what I need? Are we trying to change God's mind? The answer reveals that prayer is far more sophisticated than simply presenting God with an Amazon wish list.

I explain that God already knows what we need, and if He's determined something isn't good for us, no amount of asking will change that - just like a parent won't give a thr...

An engaging Torah study session exploring Parshat Vayishlach, where Jacob prepares to reunite with his brother Esau after years of separation. The discussion covers the concept of angels (malakhim) in Jewish tradition, Jacob's wrestling match with the angel and his resulting limp, the significance of name changes (Jacob to Israel), and the tragic story of Dinah. The session concludes with powerful lessons about Leah's selflessness and the principle that doing the right thing ultimately brings divine reward, even if not immediately. This interactive study combines textual analysis with practical life lessons, emphasizing themes of wholeness, identity, and moral courage. Perfect...

📖 Parshat Vayishlach This Week: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks asked: Why don't we know why bad things happen to good people? His answer: Because if we knew, we'd accept it as God's will and stop fighting to make things better. This week, Yaakov wrestles with an angel and earns a new name: Yisrael' ki sarita im Elohim' because you have struggled with God and prevailed. That's who we are. To be Jewish means being okay with wrestling with the Divine, questioning, arguing, demanding answers, refusing to accept injustice just because 'that's how it is.' We don't passively accept suffering; we cha...

📖 Parshat Vayeitzei This Week: Yaakov works 7 years of slave labor for Lavan just to marry Rachel. The Torah says those years felt 'k'yamim achadim', like a few days, because he loved her so much. Wait, shouldn't love make time drag? Every day should feel like eternity when you're waiting for what you want most. But here's the brilliance: 'yamim achadim' can also mean 'individual days.' Yaakov didn't stare at the mountain of 7 years thinking, 'I can't do this.' He broke it down: just get through today. Then tomorrow. Then the next day. When we face overwhelming challenges, we par...