Parashat Vaera: Honesty, Not Silence

In last week’s Torah portion, we saw that Moses fiercely resisted God’s call to lead the Israelites and God had to reassure him of success multiple times before he finally acquiesced. But after returning to Egypt, Moses’s first confrontation with Pharaoh shook the little faith he had. When Pharaoh refused to free the Israelites and […]

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What’s in a Name?

When God approaches Moses at the burning bush, Moses is initially reluctant to return to Egypt to free the Israelites. He asks God, “When I come to the Israelites and say, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘what is God’s name?’ — what shall I say?” God answers with […]

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Toddlers can help dogs reach treats spontaneously, new study finds

Toddlers will help dogs reach toys and snacks, a study published this month reported, showing toddlers have the capacity to extend feelings of empathy to animals. The new peer-reviewed study, which sought to understand whether children can help dogs spontaneously, was led by Dr. Rachna Reddy, a postdoctoral student at Duke University. Children’s prosociality can […]

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