We will sit down to the Seder this year while our people suffer. Israel faces simultaneous attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran. More than a hundred Jews are still in captivity. Antisemitism is rampant and acceptable again in coffee shops, public squares, public schools, and college campuses.
The saga …
Naso: The Path To Permanent Recovery
Success
It is often said that the difference between success and failure is the willingness to go the extra mile. The decision to go the extra mile can only be made when we have already traveled the entire conventional route. We reach the end of our trail, but the successful seek out …
B’midbar Forward Vision
Hair-Raising Drive
A friend of mine and his father were driving in the dead of night on a treacherous mountain road with razor-sharp curves and sheer cliff drops. His father seemed oblivious to the danger and drove along nonchalantly. When he inquired as to his father’s nonchalance, his father replied, “my …
B’chukotai: Personal Freedom
Edicts and Rewards
Judaism is replete with divine edicts and commands, some of which we understand, many of which we don’t, but all of which we are required to fulfill. Judaism certainly emphasizes providing for G-d what is important to him, but does it also look out for our best interests? …
Emor: Meaningful Choices
Temptation
“He was in love with a Jewish woman. She was as Jewish as he was, but there was a problem. She was a convert and he was a kohein, a member of the priestly family.” (1) When I gently informed him that Jewish law forbids the marriage between a kohein …
Acharei Mot: G-d’s Space
The Holiest Day
The nation had pinned their hopes on two young men. Rising stars of the Levitic tribe, they were hailed as leaders of the next generation. Pious, righteous, passionate and devoted, Aaron’s eldest sons were expected to respectively succeed their illustrious father and uncle.
Tragedy struck. Like a bolt of …
Tazria Mizora: The Priest and the Pariah
Inopportune
There is an ancient tradition by which Jews pledge to charity in the hope of bringing merit to a loved one that has fallen ill. (1) Similarly, rabbis often suggest that performance of Torah commandments stimulates blessing from above.
Doesn’t this rise to the heights of hypocrisy? Is devotion for the …
Shemini: Freedom to Eat
The Buffet Dilemma
You are standing in front of a heaping buffet bursting with mouth watering delicacies. Your appetite is stimulated and your juices are flowing. The host grants you the freedom to indulge to your heart’s delight.
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Passover: A Contemporary Tale
Four Redemptions
When G-d informed Moses of the exodus from Egypt he provided four descriptions of the coming redemption. “I will bring them out from under the burdens of Egypt. I will save them from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and I will take you to …
Parsha Insights »
Vaeira: Food for Thought at Your Dinner Table
Sunday: Believe
So burdened were the Jews in Egypt by their workload and fatigue that when Moses announced they would soon be liberated, they barely took notice. Moses complained to G-d, “if my own brothers won’t listen, how can Pharaoh be expected to listen?” The argument seems curious. His brethren didn’t …
Yearly Cycle »
Passover: No Salt Rule
Matzah has a no salt rule. It is made of flour and water. Nothing else. No liquids, no spices, not even salt. This is because the Matzah that we eat at the seder represents the poor person’s bread and the poor can’t afford to add flavor to their bread. The …
Concepts »
Shemini: G-d and the Holocaust
And He Was Silent
In the middle of his inauguration Aaron, the High Priest, suffered a terrible personal tragedy; the sudden death of his two elder sons. Moses offered words of comfort, but Aaron was silent; he accepted the Divine judgment with a full measure of faith. Our sages taught that …
Rabbi’s Desk »
What Can We Do?
These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …
