Articles in Yearly Cycle
Why Doesn’t G-d Make Miracles Anymore?
A Holiday for Every Miracle
Almost every miracle in Jewish history has a holiday. It is an ingenious way of keeping history alive. Jewish children don’t need a history lesson to tell you when G-d gave the Ten Commandments or when our ancestors left Egypt. They don’t need to learn it, …
Say No to Linen
The Mixture of Wool and Linen
Why are Jews forbidden to wear garments that contain wool and linen? A typical Jewish response would be, “Why ask why?” And truthfully such a response isn’t far off the mark. (1) This prohibition is known as a chok, Hebrew for edict, a law for …
Chanukah: Naturally in Love with G-d
The Split
I once asked an audience to tell me which historical factor contributed most to our continuity and one fellow insisted that the correct answer was anti-Semitism. When the nations reject us we have no choice, but to turn inward. When the nations befriend and accept us we tend to blend into the global culture …
Sukkot: No Strangers In the Sukkah
Sharing Humanity
Have you ever experienced a bond of common humanity with a perfect stranger? One moment you were a stranger the next moment you were one, caring as much about what happened to him as to yourself. Under ordinary circumstances this common bond doesn’t surface, but under extreme circumstances it …
New Year Greeting 5772: New Resolutions
The High Holiday liturgy often makes use of our Biblically prescribed designation as G-d’s children. We remind G-d of the natural love that fathers have for children and beg Him to see us in that light even if our behavior doesn’t reflect the love we have for Him.
In light of …
Rosh Hashanah: Making A Tzimmes of Tzimmes
Head or Hair?
Rosh Hashanah is not just the first day of the year, it is the head of the year. A head serves two purposes: It is a platform for hair, as in a beautiful head of hair, and a housing apparatus for the brain.
The head is the seat of …
Nitzavim Vayelech: The Key is Education
Returning The Keys
When the marauding Babylonian army broke into the Temple they found priests going about their sacred duties in ecclesiastic devotion. Some prepared meal offerings, others stoked the altar’s flames, yet others inspected logs to ensure their perfection. Outside the battle raged, but inside, the worship continued without distraction.
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Devarim: Do You Love G-d or Youeself?
What have We Learned?
It is nearly two-thousand years since the Holy Temple stood as a glorious testament to G-d on the Temple Mount. It was ransacked and razed by a marauding mob that cared little for the nuanced relationship between the human and G-d. As the Temple smoldered in the …
