Parshah Columnists

The person you shared coffee with in the morning is now competition, and you’ll cut him down at the first opportunity.

To be whole is to be holy, to keep what is eternally true at the center of your world and the core of your being. But it ain’t easy.

What others think of us is relevant only if it reflects what we stand for and the way we honor their dignity. The secret is that we attain the favor of others precisely when we free ourselves of kowtowing to public opinion . . .

Neither family background nor social status influence G‑d.

"Wise-hearted" sounds contradictory. Wisdom is a faculty of the mind, but the heart is the seat of our emotions.

What matters in life is not who you are, or to which gender you belong, but what you can contribute to the common cause. You have a specialized skill? Then utilize your ability to bring beauty and greatness to the world.

The Torah states "work shall be done" -- the passive voice. Becoming so totally devoted to one's job, such that one's work is one's total preoccupation and obsession, is totally unhealthy and an affront to the divine system. You may have to work, but let it be done

Betzalel, the prototype architect, objected to the order. "A person first builds a residence," he argued, "and then makes its furniture..."

Where did these Jewish mothers find the courage? I don't know because I'm not one of them, but ask your mother and I'm sure she'll gladly tell you. When a need arises, the Jewish mother simply responds.

The secret of the Jewish woman is bound up with the secret of our survival.

The people who constructed the Tabernacle are described as being "wise-in-heart." Is not wisdom the domain of the brain?

The chief architect was Bezalel, and he was helped by many wise-hearted people. But only one of his helpers gets a special mention: Oholiab.

What is “work”? If life is synonymous with creativity, is Shabbat a time outside life? What is the deeper significance of the curious Talmudic phrase, “forty labors minus one”?

Hostile factions can become a single cohesive group so long as they are faced with a shared challenge that all can achieve together but none can do alone.