Our sages were fence builders—not in the conventional sense, but metaphorically. The Torah presents many prohibitions, and our sages built fences around them to ensure we do not step over the line. For example, the Torah tells us not to write on Shabbat, and our sages prohibited even holding a …
Read the full story »Remembering the Levite
In the course of this Parsha, the Torah exhorts us no fewer than six times to share our blessings with the tribe of Levi. We are reminded not only to share with the Levites but also to remember them and, furthermore, never to forget them. It is uncommon …
This essay is not related to the Parsha of the week but is posted here
because the subject has recently become a household topic of discussion
[Part Three of Three]
Same Sex Marriage
Part Three
A Question of Definition
The debate on same sex
marriage has focused in part on the distinction between same sex
marriage and same …
Miraculous Oasis
The desert that our ancestors traveled was arid and infertile, inhospitable to all forms of life. Despite their forty-year sojourn in the desert our ancestors survived and even thrived. G-d provided Manna, fresh water and a protective canopy of clouds, thus creating a miraculous oasis, a rare climate for …
Bilaam
Bilaam was a narcissistic megalomaniac. He would have made an interesting case study had he been analyzed by modern psychologists. He was a master manipulator who tried to bend everyone to his will. He even attempted to manipulate G-d! (1)
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The Untenable Dilemma
On a trip to Israel in November of 2001, I asked a number of Israelis to share their thoughts on how the Intafada might be quelled. Their response was, “There is no resolution. The State of Israel will continue to exist and so will the Intafada. Somehow we …
Communicating Truths
In May of 1967, an Egyptian parliamentary delegation visiting Moscow was told that Israel had concentrated its army on the Syrian border and that an imminent Israeli invasion of Syria should be expected.
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The Ritual
If you have ever been to the Synagogue during the Priestly blessing, you know it is a celestial experience. The Kohen removes his shoes, approaches the podium his fase hidden behind his prayer shawl. He extends his hands towards the congregation, fingers parted and palms stretched outwards, he awaits, …
Sanctity and Dedication
Our Parsha begins this week with an anomalous command for an anomalous reason. “Sanctify yourself,” the Torah instructs us,
“for I am sanctified.” (1) How does one sanctify oneself? and what exactly is the Torah referring to when it tells us that G-d is
sanctified? Furthermore, why does the fact …