Articles in Family Life
Ki Tisa: Family
Two Subjects
The instruction to keep Shabbat appears in the Torah[1] immediately before the story of the golden Calf. On the face of it the two subjects are unrelated, Shabbat is a celebration of G-d and worship of the Golden Calf was an act of apostasy. Yet their juxtaposition must be …
Toldot: No Generation Gap
A Beautiful Site
My son’s Bar Mitzvah was an opportunity for a family reunion. I recall that on Shabbat afternoon after lunch, while parents, siblings and children lounged and chatted, my brother in law pulled me aside and pointed out a beautiful scene. A large group of teenage girls were sitting …
Lech Lecha: The Convert’s Soul
No Fear
On one of my visits to Israel a dear friend took me on a tour of the ruins of Shiloh. He showed me the remnants of a huge stone wall atop a massive hill and described how formidable the fortress appeared to lone travelers at the bottom of the …
Behaaloscha: Love Your Fellow
When Your Brother Does Wrong
Several weeks ago, on Shabbat afternoon, we had a fascinating discussion. How should we respond when we learn through the media that our fellow Jew has behaved improperly or even immorally? Should we jump to condemn and separate ourselves from the crime lest it reflect badly …
Bamidbar: G-d’s Love
Does He Need A Census?
The book of numbers opens with G-d directing Moses to take a national census,[1] which begs an obvious question. Does an All Knowing G-d require a census to know the precise number of Jews? This question is only amplified when you consider that this was the …
Vayechi: The Crybaby Generation
The Natives
In our quest to put an end to bullying we introduced laws that ban abuse and enforce punishment for bullying behavior. But as is often the case, when we nip and tuck in one area, we cause unintended consequences in another. In this case I feel that we are …
Chayei Sarah: Good Parenting
‘Like’ Me
Do you like friends or love them? I don’t mean Facebook liking, I mean real life liking. Well actually, Facebook has it right. You like your friends; you don’t love your friend unless it’s a very special friend. You love your parents, the question is, do you also like …
Ki Tetze: The Consequence of Selfishness
A Trilogy
The following three subjects are presented in the Torah in succession. When a Jewish warrior lusts after a beautiful maiden in war, he may cohabit with her only if they marry. If a man married two wives and loves the first, but loathes the second he cannot abandon the …
