Articles in Parsha Insights
Chayei Sarah: Free Choice
Just A Number
The expression, age is just a number, is true, but not everyone likes to have their number called. The Torah tells us the age of the Matriarch Sarah, prompting our rabbis to ask, why. If a gentleman never asks and a lady never tells, as the aphorism goes, …
Vayera: Eat and Drink
Planting In A Well
“And [Abraham] planted an Eshel in B’er Sheva.” Eshel is an inn, a place to eat and drink,[1] strangers passing through B’er Sheva, were invited to Abraham’s tent to eat and drink. When they had their fill, Abraham would invite them to thank G-d for the food …
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 …
The Festival and Shabbat
Sanctity and Joy
When a Jewish festival falls on Friday, it merges directly into Shabbat. This gives us pause as we reflect on the differences between the festival and Shabbat.
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Nezavim Vayelach: Relevance of Torah
Redundant
In our Parsha, the Torah provides its own coordinates. “It is not in the heaven to say, who might rise to the heaven to bring it to us nor is it across the ocean to say, who might traverse the oceans to bring it to us.”[1]
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Ki Tavo: Selfishness
Most Unwelcoming City
According to the readers of the Conde Nast travel magazine, Newark, NJ, is the unfriendliest city in the world. This dubious distinction is hotly contested by Newark’s residents, who claim that the magazine’s readers have never set foot outside of Newark’s bustling airport to visit the city, but …
Ki Tetze: Unity Saves Lives
Unity in War
In June of 1967 we saw clearly that unity saves lives. If you review the events that led to the six-day-war you will find that Egypt, Jordan and Syria, the nations that attacked Israel, led a coordinated pre-war campaign, whereas Israel was internally divided on how to address …
Shoftim: Write a Torah
Your Own Scroll
One of the six-hundred-thirteen commandments is the obligation for every Jew to write a Torah scroll. Jews that are not trained to write the Torah script may discharge their obligation by commissioning a trained scribe to write it for them.[1]
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