read · reflect · kvell
The Columns.
Five of them, 399 pieces deep, 372 of them free to read right here. Some walk through the week's Torah portion. Some go looking for the spark in an ordinary day.
Spiritual Sparksby Rabbi Ze'ev SmasonRabbi Ze'ev Smason on the small sparks of everyday life.Every week · 65 piecesRead the series 
Your Weekly Doseby Rabbi Eliyahu SchustermanRabbi Eliyahu Schusterman of Chabad Intown, on the week and what it asks of us.Every Friday · 31 piecesRead the series 
The Shabbat Dropby Miranda LapidesMiranda Lapides on Jewish joy, culture, and the week just gone.Every Friday · 189 piecesRead the series 
Gimme Some Torahby Rabbi Eli GarfinkelRabbi Eli Garfinkel on the day’s portion, most days of the week.Most weekdays · 37 of his 995Read the series 
Finding the Joyby Uriel ben AvrahamUri's weekly turn through the parsha, looking for the joy in it.Every Friday · 77 piecesRead the series
Latest, Across All Five
- Spiritual SparksThe MIT Mathematician Who Calculated HappinessA professor at MIT, Urschel recently solved a mathematical problem that had puzzled researchers for more than three decades. His work involves concepts so complex that…
- Finding the JoyThe Souls They MadeI had a migraine last Shabbat and had to skip shul. So my husband and I stayed in and had a quiet one. It was restful. I'll take it.
- Gimme Some TorahA Very Narrow BridgeGod says to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you.” Ḥizkuni’s (bio) comment is absolute gold for today’s challenging times:
- Your Weekly DoseFinding Your Ark in a Noisy WorldThere is lots of noise in the world right now. Really more than our nervous systems can handle. There is the endless push of media, news, social and many other useful…
- The Shabbat Drop2 New Jewish Cookbooks You Need on Your ShelfHebrew Word of the Week: This week’s word is brought to us by Hebrew teacher and Substacker,, and it is a very important word. It’s the word for candy, mamtakim (ממתקם)…
- Gimme Some TorahThe Miraculous ArkNoah’s ark was an immense construction project. It was 450 feet long, about 12 full size school buses. It was about as wide as a six lane superhighway, and it rose to a…
- Spiritual SparksAround the World on Foot -- in 28 Years!In November 1998, a 29-year-old British man named Karl Bushby set out on a walk -- around the world. Starting from the southern tip of South America, Bushby planned to…
- Finding the JoyBears and LionsTuesday night we went to an October 7 concert at a theater here in town. It was more moving than I expected. Honestly, it was very hard to sit through, and it was still…
Every piece 399
- 399The MIT Mathematician Who Calculated Happiness
- 398The Souls They Made
- 397A Very Narrow Bridge
- 396Finding Your Ark in a Noisy World
- 3952 New Jewish Cookbooks You Need on Your Shelf
- 394The Miraculous Ark
- 393Around the World on Foot -- in 28 Years!
- 392Bears and Lions
- 391Can There Be Too Much Love?
- 390The Internet Is Our Tower of Babel
- 389A Call for Mercy
- 388Don’t Let the Inspiration Go Stale
- 387October 7th has made me a different Jew.
- 386Immortality Is a Stupid Goal
- 385A Stranger's Lost Wedding Ring: How Far Would You Go to Find It?
- 384Open in Front
- 383Is AI Created in the Image of God?
- 382October 7th and the First Murder
- 381The Case For Simchas Torah
- 380Torah Takeaways From My Year of Learning Torah
- 379Walking Distance
- 378Readers Respond
- 377You’re Forgiven. Now Dance.
- 376Jewish Joy (and Ushpizin) Through Art
- 375Why Do They Hate Us?
- 374Built to Come Down
- 373Why Were They Applauding in Maine?
- 372You are Heavenly!
- 371The Teshuvah of My Chemical Romance
- 370Transactions
- 369What Color Were the Patient's Eyes?
- 368Ask Someone Who Was There
- 367Burnout
- 366Illuminate Your Path This Rosh Hashanah
- 365Where He Is
- 364What Lens Are You Looking Through?
- 363The Stories We Tell Ourselves
- 362Welcome to Jewish Croatia
- 361The Revealed Part
- 360You Never Know!
- 359Those Who Can Teach
- 358The Creation of Repentance
- 357Searching for Books
- 356Playing Hard To Get
- 355I thought I was an Av baby until...
- 354What Does the Sound of the Shofar Mean?
- 353Seventy Languages and a Best Buy
- 352Cherish
- 351Make It Louder!
- 350Don’t Waste the Discomfort - Preparing for Rosh Hashanah 5787
- 349Nobody Admires a Railing
- 348The Sound of Silence
- 347The Donkey and Its Owner
- 346Murder Clothes
- 345Don't Be Asinine
- 344An Elul Love Story
- 343Celebrating a deeply abundant and juicy life
- 342Justice and Mercy
- 341Because the Way Is Long
- 340The Long Light of Distant Stars
- 339A Murder Without Two Witnesses
- 338The Jews Choose Hebrew
- 337Personnel Is More Than Policy
- 336Don't Be Naive
- 335Standing on the Roots of Those Who Came Before Us
- 334Joyful Jewish Moments are Having a Moment
- 333The Parable of the Fur Coat
- 332Three Units
- 331Looking in Your Inner Mirror
- 330The Location of Jewish Life
- 329Regret Is Easy, Repentance is Hard
- 328Blessings and Curses Can Mix
- 327My Journey of Accepting Criticism
- 326Coexistence Tastes Like Olive Oil
- 325A Blessed People
- 324The Best We Could Do
- 323The Joy Is in the Journey
- 322The Cantorial Candidate
- 321Underestimating Arrogance
- 320Thirteen Reasons to Eat Breakfast
- 319A Letter to Mayor Mamdani
- 318When Darkness Touches the Soul
- 317Baseless Hatred: Maybe the Rabbis Were Onto Something
- 316A Jew, Full Stop
- 315Playing to Win
- 314The Third Temple Is a Metaphor
- 313A Jewish Child in a Roman Prison
- 312The Wisdom That Was Lost
- 311The Hidden Light Within the Darkness
- 310Jewish Outlander Pt. II: The Jewish Characters
- 309Turn North
- 308Time in a Bottle
- 307Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
- 306Revolts and Romance: Jewish Outlander Pt. I
- 305The Signs Are in French Now
- 304Finding a Sense of Where You Are
- 303Happy 250th America!
- 302Stars (of David) and Stripes
- 301At Its Set Time
- 300Why Chocolate Can Be Spiritual
- 299A Frustrated Rabbi
- 298Delayed, Not Diminished
- 297How I'm Staying Connected to Israel Right Now
- 296What Balaam Saw
- 295Who Are You When No One's Looking?
- 294Argue More. Resent Less.
- 293Get in Jewish professionals, we’re going to camp!
- 292He Ran Into the Crowd
- 291Beginning Again
- 290The Rebbe's Answer to an Age of Uncertainty
- 2892 Books by Award-Winning Israeli Author Yishay Ishi Ron
- 288The Grasshopper Complex
- 287Taking the High Road
- 286Independent Times
- 285Sound the Trumpet for Your Simcha
- 284R-E-S-P-E-C-T
- 283Shameless Rabbi's
- 282Shavuot Programs are the New Passover Programs
- 281The Words That Kept Us
- 280The New Sensation Hiding in Your Laundry Basket
- 279Readers Respond — Hidden Seasons, Hidden Strength
- 278Buff Humility
- 277Westward Ho! How Jews Came Through Galveston, Texas
- 276On the List
- 275Receiving The Torah In Your Body
- 274Soft Power? More Like Hard Pride
- 273Lift Up Their Heads
- 272The Circle Game
- 271Standing Tall with Humility
- 270A Story About Stealing
- 269For All Its Inhabitants
- 268Walk a Mile in My Shoes —
- 267The Inner Work
- 266I practiced these Jewish values for one month. Here’s how it went.
- 265Count for Yourselves
- 264He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
- 263What's In Your Ear(pods) or You Are What You Consume
- 262What's in a name? That which we call a holiday
- 261What Victory Looks Like
- 260Are You a Good Listener?
- 259Sometimes a prayer can look like this,
- 258Outside the camp
- 257Can Sugar Look Like Salt?
- 256Carrying Pesach Forward
- 255Tragedy Tonight, Stories Forever
- 254The Eighth Day
- 253You Will See Where I Have Been
- 252FREEDOM!
- 251The First Seder Was a Wartime Meal
- 250Every Generation, Every Day
- 249Meet Brother Shlomo, a Jewish Freemason
- 248The Fire That Stays
- 247You're an Original — Why Compare?
- 246It's All Up To Your Insides
- 245The Animated Short Film That Should Have Won an Oscar
- 244The Smallest Offering
- 243Running on Empty? Think Again
- 242A War Time Reminder
- 241Jewish Women Who Understood the Assignment
- 240Show Up With What You Have
- 239The Cure for Hurry Sickness
- 238"We Are Two People Intertwined."
- 237Carve New Ones
- 236Coincidence — More Than Meets the Eye?
- 235How I'm Finding Joy This Adar
- 234Crushed and Lit
- 233Creativity: The Soul's Outward Breath
- 232💌✡️ SHABBAT NOTES ✡️💌
- 231What You've Got
- 230Laser Vision
- 229Last Place
- 228Living With Fascination
- 227Let's Be 10% Jewier
- 226The One Who Heard
- 225A Good Laugh
- 224“It’s Here. I’m Here. They Were All Here.”
- 223They Packed Drums
- 222Famous Last Words
- 221Hardened Hearts and Praying Legs
- 220What the Table Remembers
- 219When Jews Ruled Basketball
- 218The Narrow Place
- 217Deep Roots, Lasting Growth
- 216Jewish Things on My Mind Right Now
- 215A Stranger in a Foreign Land
- 214Becoming Excellent, Becoming You
- 213And He Lived
- 212To Listen Is To Care
- 2116 Jewish Books I Read in 2025
- 210Come Forward
- 209Nurturing Hope
- 208This Chanukah, I Refuse to Cast My Jewishness Aside
- 207The One They Didn't Recognize
- 206The Gift of Light
- 205My Jewish Dream Finally Came True!
- 204The Kitchen in Someone Else's Apartment
- 203Do Miracles Still Happen?
- 202The Name You Carry Home
- 201Life is a Test
- 200Jewish Book Month: The Torah in the Tarot
- 199The People Named for Thank You
- 198Gratitude: From Heart to Habit
- 197It's Bring Your Goyim to Shul Day!
- 196The Wells You Dig Twice
- 195Awe!
- 194What if we treated Judaism like our camp crush?
- 193I Will Go
- 192A Good Heart: The Jewel Within
- 191What does Judaism say about birthdays?
- 190She Laughed
- 189Life Is Short — It Goes Fast
- 188Anne Frank Lookalike Competition!
- 187The Name You Arrive With
- 186Truce at Heart: Finding Peace with Yourself
- 185Spiritual Care Through Connection: A Conversation with Rabbi Ben Varon
- 184The Second Week
- 183The Healing Touch of Empathy
- 182What I Learned From October 7th
- 181The First Word Again
- 180A Mother's Heart & Soul
- 179Love in the Shadow of War
- 178What Passes By
- 177Time's Treasure
- 176The Song and the Rain
- 175The Gift of Forgiveness
- 174May Your Doors Be Open
- 173The Last Walk
- 172What is Spirituality?
- 171What's in Your Jewish Pie?
- 170You Are Still Standing
- 169The Path to True Happiness
- 168Standing Strong with Amit Bar
- 167The First Fruits of Showing Up
- 166Friends Lift Our Soul
- 1653 Things Bringing Me Jewish Joy Right Now
- 164You Cannot Look Away
- 163From Cookies to Cabernet
- 162The Queen is in the Field
- 161Go Home First
- 160Dreams -- Messages From Afar?
- 159Spend It on Whatever You Want
- 158Love, Giving, and Popcorn
- 157A Blessing from Fred
- 156Underfoot
- 155Purpose ... Why Am I Here?
- 154💍My Love for Medieval Jewish Wedding Rings
- 153When You Are Away
- 152Beauty's Deeper Dimensions
- 151The Two-Space Solution
- 150The Word That Carries Both
- 149The Soul is Your Essence
- 148Notes from an IDF Base
- 147Every Stop Along the Way
- 146When Life Hurts
- 145The Broken Letter
- 144The Language of Touch
- 143🔥 Bringing the Heat This Tammuz
- 142What He Saw
- 141How Does Music Touch Your Soul?
- 140Like Covid, but with Missiles
- 139Sing to It
- 138The Early Waker
- 137🏹 Aiming with Awe: Judaism as a Practice
- 136The Grapes Were Real
- 135Jewish Firefighters? Holy Hell 🔥
- 134Until the Flame Rises
- 133Cool Things I Learned This Shavuot!
- 132Fifteen Words
- 131“I’m Taiwanese, and I’m Jewish.”
- 130Counted by Name
- 129Secrets for a Well-Lived Life—Revealed!
- 128Strangers Resident
- 127A Middle Finger to Terror
- 126Three Days In
- 125What does Maimonides have to say about erectile dysfunction?
- 124The Most Important Jewish Election You’ve Never Heard Of
- 123"My Thoughts Are Free"
- 1225 Picks for Passover: From Playful to Powerful
- 121Putting the 'Ha' in Haggadah
- 120Feeling Liberated: What a Play Taught Me About Jewsplaining
- 119Courage: Let the Queens Show Us How It's Done
- 118The Power of Voice: What Being a Woman Is To Me
- 117The Brutalist: A Blueprint for Jewish Survival
- 116Some Lovely Little Tu BiShvat Poems
- 115The People of the Book and the Sword
- 114📘 Let's Get Uncomfortable!
- 113Indifference to Injustice is the Gate to Hell
- 112How the Jewish Community Stepped Up During the LA Fires
- 1118 Questions I Get Asked About Poland
- 110🎸 Rockin' Around the Chanukah Bush
- 109Shark Tank Meets Antisemitism
- 108The Most Important Book I Read This Year
- 107Comedy as a Weapon for Survival Pt. IV
- 106Jewish Gratitude List Pt. III
- 105Mimouna, Moufletta, and Misconceptions
- 104A Rare Look Inside a Prison Synagogue
- 103🥳 Happy 2nd Shabbat Dropiversary
- 102Cemetery Measuring Women of Ashkenaz
- 101My Keffiyeh Karen Confession
- 100How are you holding up?
- 99From Leeks to Likes: Adventures in Jewish Storytelling
- 98Miranda's Search for Spirituality
- 97From Manischewitz to Mindfulness: A Jewish Retreat!
- 96A Month by Any Other Name
- 95The Significance of Re'eh-visiting Old Lessons
- 94Comedy as a Weapon for Survival Pt. III
- 93The One Where Fred Turns 95
- 92How October 7th Changed My View of Tisha B'Av
- 91Building Peace Through Classical Pieces
- 90The Frozen Chosen 101
- 89🎈Balloons and Jewish Brooklyn
- 88Comedy as a Weapon for Survival Pt. II
- 875 Things I Learned on Shavuot
- 86🏳️🌈 Gay Shabbat
- 85🧀 A Catch-Up with the King of Kosher Cheese
- 84Comedy as a Weapon for Survival Pt. I
- 83Cut. It. Out! The Bris Drop
- 82🎤🎵Hallelujah! Israeli history through Eurovision wins
- 81Yom HaShoah and Honoring the Six Million
- 80Call Me By Your Name: The Forgotten Exodus
- 79Meet Vince, a Jew de Vivre 🎉
- 78To Jew is to Do
- 77Creating Change, One Milk Carton at a Time
- 76Meet Randa, the Boss of Braided Bread
- 75Ancient Courage and Modern Identity: A Purim Reflection
- 74The Colorful Life of Iris Apfel
- 73Jew Ho! The Jewish Bollywood Drop
- 72My story of Jonathan Pollard
- 71On Jewish Giving and Building a Better World
- 70My First Shiva Experience
- 69The best Jewish book, according to me
- 68Natesh's Search for Meaning
- 67🌳Planting Trees for a Better Future
- 66Bluegrass, Bourbon, and B'nai Mitzvahs
- 65Baruch ata Adonaj: Notes from Copenhagen
- 645 Jewish Books I Read in 2023
- 63Meet Ronit, Israeli Artivist
- 62🦸The Marvels of Jewish Comics
- 61Hanukkah: The Festival of Might
- 60It's here! The 2023 Hanukkah Gift Guide!
- 59Who will repair the chain?
- 58The Secret History of Iran's Mashhadi Jews
- 57My Jewish Gratitude List Pt. ii
- 56I know we will overcome this.
- 55Life Through a Jewish Lens
- 54I'm safe, but not okay.
- 53Happy Shabbat Dropiversary!
- 52You're the Lulav to My Etrog
- 51Three Jewish Anniversaries
- 509 Ways to Elevate Yourself for Yom Kippur
- 49What are your Jewish goals?
- 48Meet Robin Weiss, Kugel Kween
- 47Curly-Haired Jews: This Is for You
- 4620 Lessons I Learned in My 20s
- 45Happy Fred Friday
- 443... 2... 1... Raid the Shelves!
- 43Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a (Digital) Match
- 42My Tisha B'Av Tell-All
- 41💖 Finding Judaism through Barbie
- 40Tammuz Me to Tears
- 39A Torah in Tallinn: My Trip to Jewish Estonia
- 38Kosher reindeer, anyone?
- 37Fun fact! I’m trans. Wow!
- 36Jewish Identity on the Go
- 35You are always Sivan my mind
- 34“Excuse me, is this 'Jews and UFOs?'"
- 33🧀 A Conversation with the King of Kosher Cheese
- 32Jewish Harlem: Then and Now
- 31What's a Jewish Pirate's Favorite Month? Iy-arrr!
- 30💎 Diamonds are a Jew's Best Friend
- 29How do you feel about Israel@75?
- 28Howdy! Shalom!
- 27Be confident in your Jewish knowledge
- 26Doodle Me Like One of Your Jewish Girls
- 25Why is my AI boyfriend so obsessed with Jews?
- 24I'll Have What She's Having!
- 23🎻A Fiddler on the Roof. Sounds crazy, no?
- 22Purim 101
- 21"U CRY NOW" for Ukraine
- 20🤠 The Jews of the Wild West
- 19Black (Jewish) History Month
- 18Praying for Peace When it Feels Pointless
- 17Bo Means Go
- 16Celebrating Bagels and Community
- 15The Jewish Secret to Happiness
- 14Jewish Books I Read in 2022
- 13I'm really angry right now!
- 12The Jew Who Loved Christmas
- 11Hanukkah Gift Guide + PARTY!
- 10Let's Talk About (Jewish) Sex, Baby
- 09Kiss My Lev
- 08Sigd and Ethiopian Jewry with Beejhy Barhany
- 07My Jewish Gratitude List Pt. I
- 06Two Ladies in Leopoldstadt
- 05What the Chell is Cheshvan?
- 04Ramy Season 3 Review
- 03Ye or Nay? I Say Nay.
- 02A Tale of Two Yom Kippur Services
- 01MY GREAT JEWISH JOURNEY (Thus Far, in Brief)