Torah and Today with Rabbi Krebs

In this week's parsha we see Miriam afflicted with illness and Moshe praying for her recovery.  We discuss the laws about praying for the sick as well as the philosophy behind prayer.

Every Kotel tourist brandishes a red string to ward off the evil eye. Is this just superstitious nonsense or does Judaism believe that their are evil forces that can cause us harm?

We see miracles when they fall in our favour, but not when they work against us. Can we ever know what Hashem is thinking? Why do bad things happens- can we ever know? What about good things?

Two people walking through the wilderness with one flask of water. If they share it they'll both perish. If one keeps it for themselves, they'll survive at the cost of the other's life.  What should we do? When should we put others ahead of ourselves and when do we come first?

The Torah demands of us to be humble, but also to be aware of the dignity of man; meaning that there are times when fulfilling certain Mitzvot would be considered "beneath" them. How do we view these seemingly opposite values?

The term "Holy/Kadosh" is one that proliferates every aspect of Jewish ritual life, yet the term itself is both difficult to define, and often not one that we strive to achieve. In this week's Parsha, Hashem demands of all Jews to pursue holiness; what does that mean?

Everyone talks about the number 4 at the seder, but when we look at the seder in context of the Torah, we see there is always 5; 5 cups, 5 verses, 5 questions and 5 sons- but we never mention the 5th...why?

The hagaddah of Hope. If the purpose of the seder is to tell the story of leaving Egypt, why is so much of the hagaddah dedicated to things other than the story of the Exodus?

What's so bad about a little gossip? Perhaps more than the damage we cause to the subject of our speech, is the damage we do to ourselves in being people who can only be great by belittling.

With so many values and priorities fighting for our time, we need to budget our time, realising that investment in one area of life means forfeiting another.

Saying thank you and being grateful is not the same thing. To feel gratitude we need to realise that we are undeserving of the kindness we receive.

Is tradition the glue that keeps the community together? Or has it become a meaningless ritual that's slowly eroding it away?

We all try to live a life consistent with our values, but in Judaism it isn’t enough to do the right thing, you need to also be seen to do the right thing.

Anger can and often does destroy relationships, but how can we overcome such a base and instinctual emotion? Through understanding the source of anger, perhaps we can learn to overcome it.

Frequently, we approach past mistakes, particularly those recounted in the Bible, with a mindset of "If I had lived then, I wouldn't have..." Yet, delving into the Golden Calf incident might reveal that we're not superior to those who erred in the past.

What is the difference between modesty and humility?

In this week's Parsha, we read about the building of the Mishkan, a sanctuary to Hashem. When is a mitzvah on an individual and when is the obligation on the community?