Articles tagged with: devotion
Korach: The Selfie
Selfie pictures are all the rage these days. There are all kinds of tricks to get just the right angle. You can get an arm extender to help you to get the best shot. I saw reports that one of the hottest sale items last year was a pocket-size selfie …
Vayakhel Pekudei: The Heart of a Relationship
The Ark
It was a building party. Hammers banging on anvils, saws cutting through wood, artisans weaving designs, all crafting, fashioning, designing and building a magnificent home for G-d. They set up the structure and spread out her covers. They readied the altars, show table and candelabra, but before those could …
Matot: The Joys of Ice-Cream
Can You Have Your Cake And Eat It Too?
When we see a religious leader living the good life, fancy cars, extravagant expense accounts and private jets, we are naturally skeptical about their piety. When we think of the devout we conjure up images of the impoverished and downtrodden whose faith, …
Vayigash: O’ The Circuitous Trail Of Love
A Perplexing Concealment
Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery. Unbeknownst to them the sale worked to his advantage when remarkable circumstances led to his appointment as viceroy of Egypt. Under Joseph’s guidance Egypt collected vast storehouses of foods and was well prepared when a terrible famine struck the region. …
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 …
Tzav: Total Devotion
The Burned Offering
Our ancestors offered many kinds of sacrifices. Peace offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings and also burned offerings. What is a burned offering? An offering that is burned in its entirety upon the altar.
Vayakhel/Pekudei: The Jewish Mother
Forever
She was there at the very beginning and she is there for us still now. She was there at times of elation and was there in times of distress. She was there in times of hope and is still there in times of despair. She nurtured our faith under the …
Ki Tavo: Serving in A Selfish World
Father and Son
After a long and agonizing separation, Jacob and Joseph were finally reunited at the ancient gates of Egypt. What did the loving father do at that moment? Did he embrace his son and release his pent-up tears? No, he recited the Shema, proclaiming his faith in G-d.
