Articles in D’varim
Shoftim: Guard Your Integrity
Integrity
The Torah tells us to post judges and guardians at the gates of our cities and “Eradicate evil from amongst you”.[1] We are taught that this rule applies not only to the city but also to the person. Every person is like a city; our limbs are the citizens, our …
Re’e: Life and Death
Shivah
Judaism has a formula for everything. From birth to death, the Torah provides a detailed guide on proper conduct. When it comes to death, Judaism prescribes a seven-day period of mourning, called shivah, during which we sit at home, sheltered from the daily routine, and mourn. However, immediately after this …
Ekev: I Did It My Way
My Way
Frank Sinatra famously sang, “I traveled each and every high way . . . but more, much more than this . . . I did it my way.”
The song struck a chord especially in the West because it acknowledged an uncanny truth. Despite our limitations, despite our failures, we …
Vaetchana: Recovering from Grief
When Grief Debilitates
This Shabbat is all about comfort. After commemorating the destruction of both Jewish Temples this Tuesday, we are in a state of grief and in significant need of comfort. Yet the question is how does one find comfort after such immense grief? If we find it difficult to …
Devarim: A Healthy Waste
A Holiday
Joseph Stalin reputedly visited a Jewish inmate in prison who was rumored to foresee the future. Can you tell me, asked Stalin, when I will die? Well, replied the Jew, I can’t tell you the exact date, but I can tell you that will die on a Jewish holiday. …
Nitzavim: Sunnyside Up
The Sunnyside
The other day, my three-year-old son accompanied me to the supermarket. I put a few dozen eggs in the cart and asked him if he likes eggs. What kind are they, he replied, hard boiled or sunny side up?
It made me realize that this is a question for life. …
Nitzavim: Get Out Of Jail
Two Poles
The Torah section that we read each year on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, begins with the words “You all stand this day before the Lord, your God, the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, your young ones, your women, and your …
Ki Tavo: Reach Out
Cell Phone Reach Out
Good news for all those who have been trying to reach me via cell, text or other forms of digital communication. My withdrawal from the cell phone world has come to an end. My service provider delivered my new cell phone and I am connected again. But …
