Articles in Parsha Insights
Re’e: A Cup Of Coffee
My Coffee SummitI have a vice, especially on long trips,called coffee. I got back to the car and shared this exchange with my wife. There is a sermon in this somewhere, she observed, and she was right. Here it is.
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Tu B’av: When Smaller Is Bigger
Self Doubt
Have you ever made a snap decision that radically altered your lifestyle? I’m talking about deciding to move to a place you were visiting, changed careers midcourse, or perhaps seeing something attractive in a particular teacher and making a snap decision to transfer your child to her class.
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Vaetchanan: Science and Faith
July 21, 1969
Monday July 21, 2009, marked forty years since Neil Armstrong, stepped off the Apollo 11 and set foot on the moon. Forty years is a long time; our sages taught that students do not fully assimilate lessons learned in their youth until forty years have passed. (1) Today, …
Vayeshev: Restoring The Neighborhood
The Celebrity
Imagine yourself living in a nice neighborhood where a well known celebrity chooses to make his home. Property values rise and for the first while you enjoy the distinction; you go out of your way to make the celebrity feel welcome. But time passes and the aura wears off. …
Matot Masei: The Anchored Journey
The Journey
This conversation occurs in every Jewish home and I’m sure yours is no exception.Wife: Honey, I think its time we take another step in our Jewish growth, what do you think it should be?Husband: Are you sure this is the right time? I mean we just sent the kids …
Pinchas: Embracing Our Past
Tradition
They tell a story of a man dressed in the traditional garb of an orthodox Rabbi who was reprimanded by a progressive Jew for living in the darkness of the Middle Ages and for forming the impression that Jews are a backward people. Excuse me, replied the man in traditional …
Chukat Balak: A Crafty Snake
The Complaint
After forty years of wandering the desert our ancestors stood poised to enter the Holy Land when G-d instructed Moses to reverse course and reenter the desert. Appalled, our ancestors were reminded of what happened to their forbearers thirty-eight years earlier.
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Korach: Moral Clarity
Subjective Morality
In a recent discussion group I asked if it is inherently immoral for a man to rape a woman. I was surprised by the willingness of some to tolerate the rapist. They conceded that rape was immoral from their own point of view, but argued that others might see …
