Why I built The Daily Mensch.
I grew up in a Jewish Orthodox home, immersed for many years in the depth and beauty of the tradition. I loved the texts, the arguments, and the centuries of thoughtful voices.
About two decades in, I gradually stepped away from the Orthodox world. I'd come to feel it prized dogma over love in a way that distorted rather than deepened my relationship with God.
For a couple of years, I stepped away from the Jewish tradition entirely. But eventually its richness and spirituality called me back.
This time, though, I saw the tradition differently — not as a dogmatic system that legislates existence, but as a vast collection of stories and legal discussions that, properly channeled, could deepen one's relationship with the God of love and kindness, the current of goodness running under all of it.
I built The Daily Mensch to point the whole of Jewish tradition toward becoming a mensch — a whole, decent human being. Each reading takes a single verse of Torah, unpacks it in plain language, and ends in one small thing you can actually do.
My hope is simple: to distill the rich tradition I was raised in into 366 small doors, and leave my kids — and anyone who wants it — a way to walk through them, one day at a time.
I give you a brachah (blessing) that these readings help you become the mensch you're meant to be.
Best,
Ariel