Parshas B'Ha'aloscha: Beyond the Glamour

In today's day and age, in the world of the "instant", only the obvious gets noticed. Unfortunately, this means that which is most noticeable is mistaken to be the most meaningful and important. Oftentimes, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Parshas B'Ha'aloscha begins with the commandment for Aharon HaKohein to kindle the Menorah daily, as well as attend to its basic maintenance. Rashi quotes the famous Tanchuma which asks:

למה נסמכה פרשת המנורה לפרשת הנשיאים, לפי שכשראה אהרן חנוכת הנשיאים חלשה דעתו, שלא היה עמהם בחנוכה, לא הוא ולא שבטו, אמר לו הקב"ה חייך, שלך גדולה משלהם, שאתה מדליק ומטיב את הנרות:

Why is the portion dealing with the menorah juxtaposed to the portion dealing with the chieftains? For when Aaron saw the dedication [offerings] of the chieftains, he felt distressed over not joining them in this dedication-neither he nor his tribe. So God said to him, “By your life, yours is greater than theirs, for you will light and prepare the lamps.” - [Tanchuma Beha’alothecha 3]

The obvious question is, why is this a satisfactory compensation? And why is the preparation and lighting of the Menorah greater than the extensive gifts and Korbanos brought by the Nesi'im?

Top 10 Jewish Albums Since 1999

The beauty of music is that it is, quite literally, the language of the soul. And just as each soul is unique, so does each expression manifest itself in a distinct manner. No two people have the exact same taste, appreciation, or definition of what is considered "good music". Well, except for some of the better-known Jewish composers of today, but that's a rant for a different time.

With that being said, in addition to the fact that I wish to procrastinate instead of actually studying for a final, I present my top 10 Jewish albums since 1999. Why 1999? Because that is when Shalsheles, my favorite artist, entered the music scene.

Disclaimer 1: I'm not the biggest Fried or MBD fan so don't expect any of their albums on here.
Disclaimer 2: If you're not a fan of the whole boy's choir genre, you'll hate this list even more.
Disclaimer 3:If you disagree, that's fine. It's my list.

An Evolving Society?

As support for same-sex marriage grows in the U.S., champions of so-called "marriage equality" have celebrated the "evolving" of society. Among the many keys to any successful campaign, is the ability to utilize persuasive jargon to sway the target audience's opinion. The political left has mastered the art of the persuasive word, the phrase that will tug at the heartstrings. As with any agenda or campaign, this requires a stretch, or in many cases complete re-definement, of the word.

Which brings us to the issue of society's "evolving" on the issue of same-sex marriage. There are many issues and troubling signs that I find with the application of this description of society's acceptance of SSM.