Headlines »

October 11, 2025 – 11:45 pm | Comments Off on The Thrill of Intimacy71 views

The radical transition from the Yom Kippur solemnity to the Simchat Torah revelry can be dizzying, but it makes sense. There is a method to the madness.

Tweet

Read the full story »
Parsha Insights

Where Biblical law and Torah tale is brought vividly to life

Concepts

The Jewish perspective on topical and controversial subjects

Life Cycle

Probing for meaning in our journey and its milestones.

Yearly Cycle

Discover depth and mystique in the annual Jewish festivals

Rabbi’s Desk

Seeking life’s lessons in news items and current events

Home » Archive by Author

Articles by Lazer Gurkow

Nitzavim: Tears of Joy

August 28, 2021 – 10:57 pm | Comments Off on Nitzavim: Tears of Joy3,180 views
tears-innerstream.ca

 The eyes of a Jew on Rosh Hashanah—the annual day of judgment, are often filled with tears and remorse. We know we will be judged for our behavior. We also know that some of our behavior has been compulsive, some of our personality has been toxic, and some of our …

Ki Tavo: The Joy Imperative

August 20, 2021 – 2:17 pm | Comments Off on Ki Tavo: The Joy Imperative1,734 views
joy

Joy is an imperative in the Jewish tradition. In describing the terrible calamities in store for our people if we turn from G-d, the Torah says it will occur, “because you did not serve G-d, your G-d, with happiness and gladness of heart, when [you had an] abundance of everything.”[1]
In …

Ki Tetze: A License To Eat

August 14, 2021 – 10:52 pm | Comments Off on Ki Tetze: A License To Eat1,642 views
not yours - innerstream.ca

When you work in your fellow’s vineyard, you have a license to eat his grapes. When you visit your neighbor’s vineyard, you don’t have a license to eat. If you pluck a grape during a visit without permission, it is theft.
How much can you eat if you work in the …

Shoftim: The Individual

August 10, 2021 – 9:53 pm | Comments Off on Shoftim: The Individual1,498 views
individual-innerstream.ca

Today I want to talk to you about the individual. When nations go to war, they institute mandatory drafts. Wartime drafts are different from peacetime drafts. In peacetime drafts, soldiers are eligible for all kinds of exemptions. During war, everyone must serve. Exemptions are rare.
In Jewish law, however, it is …

Re’e: The Pivot

July 31, 2021 – 11:11 pm | Comments Off on Re’e: The Pivot1,826 views
pivot-innerstream.ca

In the course of life, there are always moments of pivot. A moment when we recognize that we have strayed from the proper path, and we pivot—reverse course and head in the opposite direction. The moment of pivot is, at the risk of sounding cliché, pivotal. It isn’t merely a …

Vaetchanan: The Full Moon

July 18, 2021 – 7:14 pm | Comments Off on Vaetchanan: The Full Moon2,120 views
full-moon

This Shabbat will be special because the full moon will shine on Friday night. The full moon occurs every month but is most important in the month of Av. The Temple’s destruction on the ninth day of this month was the low point in Jewish history. At that time, it …

Devarim: Response to Suffering

July 10, 2021 – 10:35 pm | Comments Off on Devarim: Response to Suffering3,001 views
faith and suffering - innerstream

Suffering is sadly familiar to Jews. We have a long and painful history of suffering. Our sages taught that the Torah was given on Mount Sinai because Sinai is etymologically similar to sinah, which means hatred. From the day that we were chosen to become a light unto the nations, …

Matot Masei: The Three Weeks

July 3, 2021 – 11:42 pm | Comments Off on Matot Masei: The Three Weeks1,796 views
three-weeks

We are in a time of year called the three weeks. During this time, Jerusalem was sacked twice, once by the Babylonians circa 420 BCE and again by the Romans in 69 CE.  Each time, our enemies struck directly at the Jewish heart by destroying the Temple. The Babylonians destroyed …