United Orthodox Synagogues (UOS)

06/04/2026

A French modernist painter, the Baal Shem Tov, and the Alter Rebbe enter a dining room overlooking a garden. Parables and insights ensue.

I'm pleased to share a new essay in Tradition Online's "The Best" series on Pierre Bonnard's 'Dining Room on the Garden' and what it might have to say to us.

Many thanks to Rabbis Jeffrey Saks and Chaim Strauchler for the opportunity.

https://traditiononline.org/the-best-dining-room-on-the-garden/

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧: 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 - : Pierre Bonnard’s “Dining Room on the Garden” appears to depict a vivid domestic interior overlooking a tranquil landscape, yet closer attention reveals a deeper meditation on illusion, unity, and perception. Through this deliberate blurring of boundaries, the painting presents reality as fundamentally interconnected. Yitzchak Sprung (🔗in comments) compares Bonnard’s artistic vision to famous Hasidic parables about the material world as a veil concealing a deeper divine unity.

05/29/2026

The Rambam's discussion of the Nazir contains a surprising tension. On the one hand, the Nazir appears to be correcting a personal failing. On the other hand, the Torah accords him extraordinary honor.

Why would someone in need of correction be compared to the holiest man in Israel?

This week's episode of Unperplexed explores the paradox.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4PkE07vd6coA9XY8A4XJjl?si=jtdR7sDjSwKs5wnG3sPzSw

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/naso-the-holy-patient/id1650845889?i=1000770190968

RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/parshapickmeup/2869105/

The Holy PatientWhy does the Rambam compare the Nazir to the Kohen Gadol?This week's episode explores a striking paradox: the Nazir is both a patient in need of treatment and a model of holiness. What can this teach us about struggle, self-discipline, and spiritual growth?Sources:Num. 6, Guide 3:48,...

04/24/2026

We all sin. But how do we feel when we do?

This week’s Unperplexed looks at the scapegoat—and Maimonides’s idea that it’s not about sending sin away, but learning not to live with it.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/acharei-mot-kedoshim-we-all-sin-but-how-do-we-feel/id1650845889?i=1000763457147
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ETsS2SmlqbQk8nzphHZR4?si=wlGdUiHTRa-uQ4Pq6CQ8xg
RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/parshapickmeup/2764724/

We all sin. But how do we feel when we do?The Sin Offerings are there to ask us this question. And to give us an answer.

03/24/2026

What does "Yahrzeit" mean to you?

As always, such a pleasure to take part in the The Jewish Press's Word Prompt.

03/20/2026

Make it easy for people.

Sin offerings could be very expensive. But what of someone who cannot afford to bring these animals for a sacrifice? This issue is addressed in our Parsha. And it's not just about sacrifices.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vayikra-make-it-easy/id1650845889?i=1000756348393
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3F4pvbsOyPA16gOPVlG6Cy?si=mMvdyiy8S7GHL-wtM1iIMQ
RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/parshapickmeup/2645533/

Make it easy for people. Sin offerings could be very expensive. But what of someone who cannot afford to bring these animals for a sacrifice? This issue is addressed in our Parsha. And it's not just about sacrifices. Sources: Lev. chap. 5, Laws of Shegagot 1:3, 10:1-5, Guide 3:46.

03/06/2026

Nietzsche wasn’t wrong about everything. No, the will to power- pure human desire that crosses all moral boundaries- will never be Jewish. But he got something fundamentally right. We will call it the ‘Will to Shabbat.’ And we read about it in this week’s torah portion.

Listen to 'Unperplexed' to learn more.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0m4sgIJlCwAPekSyuM2vmI?si=n1QQLsMOSjeC8FJTD1kXLQ
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ki-tisa-nietzsche-and-the-will-to-shabbat/id1650845889?i=1000753413659

Podcast Episode · Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed · March 5 · 8m

01/30/2026

God doesn’t change people. And we shouldn’t try to.

In this week's episode, we see just how central this principle is to Torah. And then we think about how important it ought to be to us.

Listen to this week's episode of Unperplexed to learn more.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beshalach-dont-try-to-change-people/id1650845889?i=1000747246792
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/00IGDTyuURVG0Wj8aL5LuR?si=dhLihPCmQ_OEMnCvMAXzew

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed · Episode

01/23/2026

We all have sacred cows. Not all good ones, by any means.

So what do we do when we look in the mirror and don't like what we see? Or when it feels like our social narratives are going off the rails?

Our parsha talks about this issue, if you scratch underneath the surface.

Check out this week's episode of Unperplexed to see how this problem was dealt with... 3500 years ago.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3alxkPQNd0BdrU8hKqiXIl?si=sHNqMc-CTtenkmyP316kJQ
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bo-slaughtering-ideas/id1650845889?i=1000746263760

Podcast Episode · Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed · 01/22/2026 · 5m

01/16/2026

What happened to Pharaoh's free will when God hardened his heart? And isn’t it unfair for God to punish Pharaoh for something he really didn’t have a choice in?

These are great questions. And there are several ways we might think about the Rambam’s answer.

Take a few minutes to explore what the Rambam thought and what it means for us.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pwD6wCFkZAbDbW8gjgpWY?si=plr4na5jTLaPDP_xCCLZpg
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vaera-no-freedom-to-choose/id1650845889?i=1000745340241

Podcast Episode · Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed · 01/15/2026 · 9m

01/09/2026

A short reflection on Moshe’s first acts of courage — before prophecy, before certainty.

New episode of Unperplexed, listen here:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shemot-moshe-before-prophecy/id1650845889?i=1000744353752
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3p4G8qEJcOii8vMps7w7kH?si=Rd1o7w4TRjCn0TrlxRt4dA

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed · Episode