Question:

I am in a serious relationship with a girl I truly love, but there is a blockage that is preventing us from moving forward. She says she thinks I'm a great guy, but for some reason her feelings for me are not as strong as mine are for her. I don't get it. I treat her like a princess, I take her everywhere, I buy her gifts, I do everything to make it work and barely demand anything in return. If love is all about giving, what am I doing wrong?

Answer:

People often say that love is about giving, giving and giving. But ...

Over three thousand years ago, the Israelites were liberated from Egypt. Ever since, at this time of year, we relive their story on Passover, the festival of freedom.

Imagine we could travel back in time and say to the great Pharaoh, “There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that one of the people alive today will survive and change the moral landscape of the world. The bad news is: it won't be your people. It will be that group of Hebrew slaves out there, building your glorious monuments, the Children of Israel.” ...

An astonishing and sobering contrast concerning the nature of the human psyche captures our imagination in this week’s Torah portion (Emor).

The Torah prohibits a Kohen, a priest (which includes all descendents of Aaron), from marrying a divorced woman. It also prohibits a Kohen Gadol, a High Priest, from marrying a divorcee and a widow (1).

Now, one can perhaps make sense out of the former prohibition: Since a priest served as the spiritual agent of the Jewish people in Divine service, he was required to live a life of complete innocence and purity. Therefore, the Torah did not want him marrying a person involved in strife, innocent or not.

But why could the High ...