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May 27, 2023 – 11:40 pm | 60 views

The kohen (priest) plays many central roles in this week’s Torah portion. Primary among them is the priestly blessing. G-d endowed the kohen with the power to confer blessing. It is a potent power. Imagine holding the keys to another’s fortune and happiness. If you choose, you can endow them …

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Articles in Ki Tisa

The Buck Stops Here

March 4, 2023 – 10:46 pm | 209 views
buck stops here

The buck stops here, was a sign on the desk of President Harry S Truman. It is a spin off the aphorism, “pass the buck”—punting responsibility to someone up the line. When you are president, Truman would often say, the buck stops here. You are responsible. If you don’t like …

Vayekhel: With All You Got

February 21, 2022 – 9:06 am | 524 views
all-you-got

Do you live with all you got, or do you hold back out of fear, shame, insecurity, or lack of confidence?
This week we read a special selection from the Torah in honor of the upcoming month, II Adar. It is about the half silver coin. G-d instructs Moses to take …

Ki Tisa: The Stubborn Ox

February 12, 2022 – 9:18 pm | 589 views
stubborn-ox

Have you ever seen a stubborn ox? The Haftorah this week tells the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. It was approximately 740 BCE and idol worship was rampant in Israel’s Northern Kingdom. Wanting to demonstrate the fallacy of idolatry, Elijah challenged the prophets of the idols to a contest …

Ki Tisa: Lift the Head

March 8, 2020 – 2:19 pm | 1,117 views
lift-your-head-innerstream.ca

G-d instructed Moses to collect a half silver shekel from each Jew for the Tabernacle’s building fund. Before allocating the shekels to the Tabernacle, Moses was told to take a census of the people by counting the shekels. The Torah seems to describe this census awkwardly. Rather than saying count …

Ki Tisa: The Cruelty of Abuse

February 16, 2019 – 9:56 pm | 1,455 views
abuse-innerstream.ca

Understanding the Impact
What is it about the abuse of a child that twists and stunts their emotions for life? I know that it does, but why does it? Why does an imbalanced relationship in a time of vulnerability hamper us decades later? Why does neglect in childhood make it difficult …

Ki Tisa: Use Your Head

February 16, 2019 – 9:46 pm | 1,517 views

Use your head is an idiom that means think things through carefully. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon. Use your head. Think about it, figure out the ramifications and avoid making a mistake.
The Torah says, “When you list the heads of the children of Israel according to their numbers.”[1] What …

Ki Tisa: Make Light

March 16, 2017 – 9:59 am | 2,356 views
make-light-innerstream.ca

Shabbat Candles
Don’t make light of Shabbat. Make light for Shabbat.
A child came home from a Hebrew lesson and told her parents that she wanted to make light for Shabbat by lighting candles. The parents agreed to satisfy her whim and lit candles as the sun set on Friday. As they …

Ki Tisa; Don’t Fix It

March 3, 2016 – 12:27 pm | 2,465 views
if-it-ain't-broke-innerstream.ca

If It Ain’t Broke
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, is a pithy saying from the American South The idea is that if something has a track record of success, don’t tinker with it.
Over the last few decades, the words ‘Jewish continuity’ has become a catchphrase. What can we do …