They Cried
Our Parsha this week begins with Moses’ report to the Jewish people that he would not lead them into the land of Israel. The Midrash relates a fascinating tale that occurred at that time. Jews bemoaned the future loss of their beloved leader Moses, Joshua mourned and rent his …
Are you a simpleton? The Hagadah makes the simpleton sound, well, simple. The simpleton asks, “What is this?” What is the seder? Why do we eat matzah and bitter herbs? Why do we drink four cups of wine? Tell him that G-d extracted us from Egypt, from the house of …
A Very Fine City
The population of Sodom and its environs was “wicked and sinful to G-d in the extreme.”[1] Though the Biblical narrative is light on specifics, the Talmud is more forthcoming. The Talmud relates that they were wicked in body, a reference to sexual promiscuity, sinful with money, meaning …
These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …