Joseph and his brothers had a rocky relationship. Over the years there had been some pretty bad times. They resented him and thought he maligned them to their father. For his part, Joseph didn’t help matters when he shared his grandiose dreams that cast him in the role of king …
Read the full story »Balak: Weed is Now Legal
Canada has recently legalised weed, so we must ask, what is the Jewish perspective on weed?
Marijuana, or weed as it is known in the vernacular, is a derivative of the cannabis plant. On the surface, plants are kosher. The only thing to avoid when eating plants, are bugs, and by …
Chukat: Live or Die
What do you think Judaism advocates, that we live for G-d or that we die for G-d?
Throughout history there have been two classic Jewish views. One was to place physical survival above spiritual; to live at all costs even the violation of our sacred Torah principles and cherished Jewish traditions. …
Korach: Resenting Direction
Korach, who resented direction, led a popular rebellion. Like all rebels he purported to take up the cause of the people. And like all rebels, his cause was neither real nor beneficial to the people.
Korach, “assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, …
Sh’lach: Bad News
Why is bad news so ubiquitous? Wherever we turn we seem to hear another piece of bad news. This one has cancer, that one broke an arm, another lost his job, and another’s home was flooded. Why is there so much bad news?
The truth is that there is much more …
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 …
Beha’alotcha: The Travel Codes
G-d developed travel codes in the desert to instruct the nation on when to gather and when to travel. There were approximately two million Jews traveling across the desert and it would have been impossible for a human voice to be heard over the din. G-d established a musical code …
Naso: To be Lifted
To celebrate the inauguration of the tabernacle, the Jewish tribal princes made several key contributions. Among them were four wagons and eight oxen to transport the sacred vessels across the desert. When the Jews would travel in the desert, the Levites would disassemble the tabernacle and transport it, using these …
Bamidbar: Count for Something
G-d instructed Moses to take a census of the Jewish people in the desert. In all, G-d told Moses to count the Jews three times in a forty-year period. Rashi, the famed eleventh century biblical commentator, explained that G-d counts the Jews because He loves them.[1]
This statement makes it sound …
Parsha Insights »
Vayechi: Oasis in the Desert
Jacob in Egypt
The very first time the Torah testifies that our patriarch Jacob fully enjoyed and appreciated life is during the period of time that he lived in Egypt.
Yearly Cycle »
Passover: The Freedom To Commit
The Burden of Freedom
What does freedom mean to you? Thousands of people dream every day of wealth, fame and freedom from life’s drudgery. They are tired of poverty and penny counting, tired of overworking and constantly answering to employers. They want wealth and power; they want to be free.Those who …
Concepts »
Ki Tavo : The art of gratitude
Many Helping Hands
Ben Zoma used to say,”How many labors Adam carried out before he obtained bread to eat! He plowed, he sowed, he reaped, he bound, he threshed and winnowed and selected the ears, he ground, and sifted, he kneaded and baked, and then at last he ate; whereas I …
Rabbi’s Desk »
Festival Shabbat: Show Respect
United Airlines
Social media is abuzz with the terrible story that occurred on United Airlines several days ago. Dr, Dao, a 69 year old physician on a flight from Chicago to Louisville, was physically dragged off a plane after being beaten by three police officers. The physician’s crime was refusing to …
