Articles by Lazer Gurkow
Shemot: Diaspora Judaism
Diaspora Judaism has been a problem for the community of nations from time immemorial. It is a unique phenomenon that only the Jew has experienced. Exiled from our country for nearly two thousand years, we stubbornly refused to assimilate and to dissipate. We clung tenaciously to our Jewish identity and …
Vayechi: To Be Alive
Are you among the living or are you alive? To be among the living means that we are breathing, and functioning—we are not dead, but neither are we fully alive. To be alive means to pulsate with the energy of life. To be fully attuned to life.
After Jacob, our patriarch, …
Vayigash: Stuck in Lockdown?
Lockdown is a word with which we have sadly become all too familiar. Many countries around the world have experienced a second wave of COVID and implemented various forms of lockdown. Ontario in Canada just announced its own lockdown and as I write I am looking at 28 long days …
Chanukah: The Unstable Flame
Oils that produce an unstable flame may not be used for Shabbat candles because Shabbat candles must be stable and pleasant. An unstable flame that rises and dips, a flame that is constantly on the verge of extinction causes anxiety and Shabbat candles are meant to be peaceful and pleasing.
However, …
Vayishlach: Have you ever Been Kissed?
Let me say this right up front: Have you ever been kissed, is not a question you expect to hear from a rabbi in a devar Torah. But I do mean the question sincerely, were you ever kissed? I’m not asking if you were ever kissed by your parents, grandparents, …
Vayetze: Jacob’s Lifeline
Have you ever gone out for drinks with colleagues and felt like a fish out of water? Suppose you are on a business trip with serious-minded professionals, but then over drinks, their professional exterior fades, and the talk turns vulgar. Your collegiality with these people is based on your common …
Toldot: Esau’s Garments
You know the story. Rebecca instructed Jacob to disguise himself as Esau by dressing in Esau’s garments (which were furry and made him appear hairy like Esau), present himself to his father, provide him with delicious wine and meat, and ask for the blessings that his father intended for Esau. …
The Passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
It has been around a year since the world has lost a great leader with the passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Who will be his successor?
There will be millions beginning with me and you.
Rabbi Sacks was a unique and leading voice among rabbis in our generation. His keen intellect and …
