The Maccabees won the war one battle at a time. The odds they took on were impossible, but they never thought about the future escalations. Their only concern was with the battle in front of them.
Their first military skirmish was against a minor garrison of soldiers. It was not difficult …
When The Torah Rejoices
Simchat Torah is usually understood as us rejoicing with the Torah. As we read the last passage of the Torah and immediately turn around to read the first passage, we rejoice over studying the Torah.
However, Simchat Torah has a deeper meaning. It is not only we who rejoice over the …
Sukkot: You Earned It
Enjoy Sukkot; you earned it. You probably think you know what I mean. After the heavy lifting of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the shofar, fasting, prayers, confessions, etc., we deserve a little relaxation and joy. But I am not talking about that. I am talking about something much deeper, …
Get Your Head in the Game
Get your head in the game is a common refrain among athletes. Distraction is the last thing athletes can afford. It interferes with their rhythm, disturbs their focus, and wreaks havoc on their stamina. Coaches are often overheard telling players to get their heads in the game.
Judaism is no different. …
Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish Core Emerges
The Jewish core is meant to emerge on Rosh Hashanah when we sound the shofar. It is not just a musical sound intended to evoke deep emotions. It is the wordless cry of the quintessential Jew bursting forth from our inner core. It is an experience that cannot be conveyed …
End of the Hakhel
We are at the end of a hakhel year. The seventh year of the cycle is shemitah—the sabbatical, when the land is left fallow, and everything that grows belongs to everyone equally. The following year is hakhel; all farms, vineyards, olive groves, etc., are back in business.
Hakhel means to gather. …
A Tale of Two Desires
Life is a tale of two desires. Sometimes, I think I know what I want, and I think that if I only had that, I would be happy. Then the darndest thing happens. I get what I thought would make me happy, and I am still not happy. What does …
Shoftim: Saved by the Law
This week, our Torah portion outlines the laws that govern a Jewish court. Jewish trials are not tried by a jury. Jewish trials are always tried by a panel of judges. One of the fascinating laws of Jewish jurisprudence is that if every judge on the panel finds a defendant …
Are We Children or Chosen?
Are we G-d’s children or G-d’s chosen?
On the face of it, one be both, but when you think about it, you see that we must choose. Choices can only be made between two equal options. When the options are unequal, there is no real choice—you obviously opt for the superior …
Parsha Insights »
Beshalach: Shabbat
When our ancestors traveled through the desert, they were nourished by Manna that fell miraculously from heaven every morning of the week with the exception of Shabbat. There was no Manna on Shabbat; instead two portions fell on Friday, one for Friday, the other for Shabbat.
Nevertheless, the Zohar, the seminal …
Yearly Cycle »
Sukkot: G-d’s Holiday
Why and When
Sukkot, the festival of Tabernacles, is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month Tishrei. It celebrates the clouds of glory that G-d provided for our ancestors in the desert. For forty years, they were sheltered from the desert’s elements by the clouds that G-d dispatched to …
Concepts »
CHayei Sarah: Meaningful Days
The Question
“And Abraham was old, had entered his days, and Hashem blessed Abraham with everything.” (Bereishis 24, 1) The commentators struggle with the meaning of the words “entered his days.” What exactly does this mean?
Old Age
Ramban and Eben Ezra tell us that entering into one’s days suggests longevity. This translation …
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 …
