Articles by Lazer Gurkow
Vayikra: The Contract
G-d signed a contract with King David and through David, He signed it with the Jewish people. David asked G-d to preserve him, and G-d replied, if you look after my commandments, I will look after you.
Our sages offered a parable: One man owned a vineyard in the Galilee, and …
Vaykahel Pekudei: In Your Heart
Is G-d in your heart, is He at least in your mind, or is He only in your deeds? A tabernacle can be built by deeds, but the most important tabernacle is built in the heart.
When G-d instructed Moshe to build the Tabernacle, the Jewish people contributed more materials than …
Purim: The Response to Antisemitism
Purim represents a victory over antisemitism. Haman was the preeminent antisemite. He didn’t need a reason to hate Jews. He hated them because they were Jewish. Any of his reasons were excuses on which to hang his hat, but they weren’t his primary reasons.
Let’s look at the story of Purim …
Terumah: Good Intentions
Good intentions are important, but they aren’t everything.
When it comes to Mitzvot, intentions are important, but the action is primary. If you want to mow the lawn, you need to go out and mow it. Intending to mow the lawn and even visualizing yourself doing it, won’t cut it (pun …
Mishpatim: The Robinhood Culture
Unless You’ve been living under a rock, you know about the Robinhood fiasco. In brief, several large hedge funds shorted stocks in several companies including one called GameStop. A group of smaller investors colluded to prop up these stocks with a frenzied buying program, costing the hedge funds billions of …
Yitro: One People
Shortly after arriving at Mount Sinai, the Torah tells us that the Jewish people were like one people. The Torah says that he (rather than they) settled near the mountain. Rashi, the famous biblical commentator, pointed out the anomaly and observed that at that point they were singular; like one …
Beshalach: The Trust Test
Trust is a fickle thing. It is hard to build and it can shatter in a moment. Once shattered, it is painstaking to rebuild. If this is true of trust between people, how much more so trust in G-d?
The Torah tells us about a trust event that occurred in the …
Bo: The Army
Every country has an army, and every army serves a country. The question is who is in charge, the army or the country?
You see, militaries are tricky things. On the one hand, they give the country power and stability, on the other hand, they can easily assume power. This is …
