Articles in Parsha Insights
Terumah : Whose Money Is It Anyway?
The Tele-marketers and I
As I sat down for dinner, the telephone rang and I found myself responding to the third telemarketer of the evening. These calls came after a day spent digging through unsolicited e-mail from countless businesses and organizations. You can imagine my consternation when the doorbell rang as …
Vaeirah: The Prophetic Experience
Puzzles and Prophecies
Every once in a while my children ask me to help them with one of the many puzzles in the cupboard. The usual routine has us sit down on the floor where I examine the shape, color and picture fragment of a puzzle piece to determine where it …
Shemot : Heaven And Earth
There was a steep mountain pass just outside Premishlan that was impassable during the winter because of its treacherous icy conditions. The Chassidic master, Rabbi Meir of Premishlan, would navigate this pass on a regular basis. When asked for his secret he answered simply, “One who is bound to the …
Vayechi : Where Did the Disconnect Occur?
Growing Into Our Own
His parents want him to apply for business school but he is committed to music. Throughout college he is subjected to veiled comments and nuanced complaints but the young man holds firm. Four years later he graduates with honors and his parents attend the commencement ceremony. They …
Vayigash : Talking to G-d
I was driving on the New York State Thruway late one afternoon and parked on the shoulder to recite the Mincha prayer. I closed my eyes and tried to tune out the sounds of passing cars when a police cruiser pulled up behind me and asked over his loudspeaker if …
Bo : Light and Dark Intertwined
The Ninth Plague
The plague of darkness was such that “no person could see his brother, nor could any person rise from his place for three days. (However) the children of Israel had light in all their homes.” (1)
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Miketz : Divine Providence
The Jewish quarter in the northern Israeli City, Tzefas, was subjected to a five-month siege during the 1947 war for independence. When the siege lifted venerated rabbis in the community, renown for their piety and sharp wit, had this to say.
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Vayeshev : Travel Begins and Ends At Home
True Treasures are At Home
Listening to the car radio on my way home from a particularly long trip I heard an accomplished, world famous traveler declare that her most amazing travel experience was accomplished within the confines of her own home. She had observed the most exotic sights in the …
