Articles by Lazer Gurkow
When Rain Falls in Israel
Rain doesn’t fall often in Israel. There is a rainy season that feeds the river, tributaries, and the lake, but rain isn’t always in plentiful supply. Some years, the rains are minimal, and the country suffers. The Torah (Deuteronomy 11:11) characterizes Israel as a place where rain is the sole …
Let Your Child Go
The Torah portion we read this week discusses Moses pleading for his life five hundred and fifteen times before G-d told him to stop because his plea would not be granted (Deuteronomy 3:23–26). The Midrash (Tanchuma, Vaetchanan Chapter 6) relates that Moses begged the angels in charge of the heaven …
Nurturing Emotional Growth
This week we will read a combined Torah portion. The first is called Matot, the second is called Masei. Matot, at least in the context of this passage, means tribes. But mateh also means a stick. Matot means sticks, plural. Masei means journeys. The Torah delineates the forty-two journeys our …
Take The Entire Day Off
I was walking with a friend, one Shabbat, and as we reached the crosswalk, he bent to push the button to stop the traffic. I reminded him it was Shabbat, when we don’t use electronics. Instead, I suggested we relax patiently and chat until the light changes. It was Shabbat …
Operation Rising Lion
I grew up in the shadow of the Six-Day War. The impossible yardstick of this war measured every subsequent war in Israel. It redefined the term blitzkrieg as Israel rebuffed a three-nation attack and came away with land from each of them.
All this changed when we woke up on Friday, …
The Leap of Trust
We usually talk about a leap of faith. Today, I want to discuss a much harder concept: a leap of trust.
The name of the Parshah we read this week is Chukat. There are three types of commandments: (A) Mishpatim, commandments that make sense to us. We would likely have drawn …
Authentic Leaders
Authentic leaders are few and far between. Most people think of authentic leaders as leaders willing to do what is right, even when it is unpopular. That is authentic leadership. However, I was talking about authentic leaders. What’s an authentic leader?
Authentic leaders are not in it for themselves; they are …
The Best Life Advice
This week, we read about the spies that Moses sent to inspect Israel ahead of the Jews’ arrival. The story begins like this: “And G-d spoke to Moses, saying, send people for yourself, and they will inspect the land of Canaan that I will give to the children of Israel” …
