Articles in Free Choice
Rosh Hashanah: Pickled Meat and Free Choice
Surface Attraction
A man once went to the butcher and saw two bins, one filled with fresh meat, the other, with pickled meat. The pickled meat smelled good and drew his attention. He bought five pounds of the it and returned the next day with terrible stomach pains. Why didn’t you …
Ki Tavo: A Matter of Perspective
Blessing and Curse
When you stand in Samaria, in the city of Shechem (Nablus), and look south and north, you quickly gain perspective. You see, Shechem is nestled between two great mountains, mount Gerizim to its south and Mount Ebal to its north. Gerizim has a natural spring, and is semi …
Shoftim: Guard Your Integrity
Integrity
The Torah tells us to post judges and guardians at the gates of our cities and “Eradicate evil from amongst you”.[1] We are taught that this rule applies not only to the city but also to the person. Every person is like a city; our limbs are the citizens, our …
Ekev: I Did It My Way
My Way
Frank Sinatra famously sang, “I traveled each and every high way . . . but more, much more than this . . . I did it my way.”
The song struck a chord especially in the West because it acknowledged an uncanny truth. Despite our limitations, despite our failures, we …
B’haalotcha: Club Rules
The Hand-Book
When you first join a club, you obey all the club rules; you never make excessive noise and never smoke in public places. Yet, seniors at the club play fast and easy with rules, why is that? On your first day of high-school, you study the student-hand-book and memorize …
Passover: Chad Gadya
A Conflagration
Although the Chad Gadya is not part of the Chabad tradition, the melody holds universal appeal. In fact, one of my earliest Passover memories is learning this classic. My Bubbie’s Haggadah had beautiful illustrations and I spent many hours pouring over the pictures of the kid, cat, dog, stick …
Terumah: What Is Your Tower
Choose Your Tower
Two Chassidic Rabbis riding in their carriages met in the middle of a bridge. One carriage was pulled by two old horses, the other, by a team of four powerful stallions. The rabbi with the old horses asked the other, why do you need such strong horses? Answered …
Nitzavim: Get Out Of Jail
Two Poles
The Torah section that we read each year on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, begins with the words “You all stand this day before the Lord, your God, the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, your young ones, your women, and your …
