Parasha Insights

After his wife died, an old Jew received a parrot from his sons to keep him company. After a while, he discovered that the parrot had heard him pray so often that it had learned to say the prayers. The old man was so thrilled that he decided to take his parrot to the synagogue on the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah.

The rabbi protested when he entered with the bird, but when told the parrot could pray, the rabbi, though still skeptical, showed interest. People started betting on whether the parrot would pray, and the old man happily took bets that eventually totaled $50,000.

The prayers began, but the bird was silent. As the prayers continued, the bird was silent. When the prayers ended, the old man was crestfallen and $50,000 in debt.

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Barbara Walters, of Television's 20/20, wrote a story about gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years ago before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. From Ms. Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their husbands and are happy to maintain the old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'

The woman looked Miss Walters straight in the eyes and without hesitation said, 'Land Mines.… Read More »