Over the past week, we have seen anti-Israel college takeovers with protestors openly declaring their desire to kill Jews and to render Israel—from the river to the sea—Juden Rein. The brazen tactics and bullying have left many Jewish students and faculty members afraid to venture onto campus. As we approach …
Read the full story »Pinchas: Taking a Moral Stand
Moral Courage
Pinchas was a great man and, in our Parsha, was the man of the hour. His fellow Jews sunk to a moral low and their leaders were forced to choose between tolerance and moral vigilance.
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Balak: Manipulating G-d
A Strategy of The Spirit
The Moabite king Balak was afraid of the Jews. Its newly formed military recorded incredible successes against overwhelming odds and Balak feared for his country.
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Korach: Losing on Both Ends
Korach Had His Reasons
In this week’s Parsha we read about the infamous Korach. Korach was smart, rich, and powerful. He was also a rebel. Worst than a rebel he was a jealous rebel. His rebellion was nearly successful and G-d found it necessary to stamp out his rebellion in the …
Korach: Unity is Paramount
A Unique Punishment
Korach was a rebel. He was the prime movement behind a effort to depose Moses and Aaron. For his efforts he was severely punished; he and his followers were lost in a sudden earthquake that literally buried them alive.
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Korach: Misguided, but Passionate
Brass Pans
Korach led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. They brazenly performed the rite of incense offering, a rite reserved only for the high priest. They were punished, but the brass pans they used in their misguided offering was salvaged. G-d instructed that they be utilized as a covering to …
Sh’lach: Loyal to Whom?
The Vice President
After twenty years with the company the senior vice president was invited to the President’s office.
“We have been experiencing a rash of theft in the mail room,” said the president, “and we suspect the mail room supervisor. This position must be filled with someone we can trust and …
B’haalotcha: The Silent Flame
Hardly any Splash at all
One of the criteria by which professional high divers are rated is their smooth water entrance and the resultant splash factor.
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High Holidays: A Silence Louder Than Words
An Early Judgment
During the course of this month we have sounded the Shofar every day in an attempt to inspire repentance, however, on the last day of this month we will purposely refrain from sounding the Shofar. This is explained
as a deliberate attempt to confuse the prosecuting angel. We want …
Parsha Insights »
Vayakhel Pekudei: Playing Host to G-d
A Wise Host
The host of the party was worried that there were too many people and not enough refreshments. He was sure that not everyone had been invited, but he had to identify the crashers. So, he called for silence and asked, “Will those from the bride’s side of the …
Yearly Cycle »
Passover: Removing the Chametz
Before Pesach we have a flurry of rituals aimed at ridding our homes of Chametz. One ritual layers over the next creating a labyrinth of overlapping traditions that leaves one dizzy. The following article is intended to make sense of the seeming chaos.The Torah prohibits not only eating but also …
Concepts »
Re’e: The Lonely Sock
Just A Half
Have you ever lost socks in the wash? It’s bad enough to lose a pair, but losing a single sock really frustrates me. You search in vain for its match and are left holding a useless sock. My son coined his own term for the single socks in …
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 …
