G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like flames” (Jeremiah 23:29). Flames don’t burn unless they have fuel to consume. The same is true of G-d’s words. “For G-d your G-d is a consuming …
Read the full story »Tzav: Smoking Hot
Smoke and FireThe temperature in the Temple was smoking hot. One can only imagine that the summer months in Jerusalem were hot enough as it was. Add to that the myriads of people that filled the temple on a given day, and the many fires atop the altar, and you …
Vayikra: Coming to Shull
When you live in a small Jewish community, you often need to recruit people to attend services at the synagogue just to ensure that you have a Minyan (quorum of ten men for prayer). Many grow frustrated with the process and wonder what value there is in attending only because …
Vayakhel Pekudei: Playing Host to G-d
A Wise Host
The host of the party was worried that there were too many people and not enough refreshments. He was sure that not everyone had been invited, but he had to identify the crashers. So, he called for silence and asked, “Will those from the bride’s side of the …
Purim: The Nature of Miracles
Haman wasn’t the first villain in his family. He came from an illustrious line of Jew haters. He was a descendant of the infamous Amalek, the first to advise Pharaoh to enslave us and the first to make war against us after the exodus.
The Torah describes the dramatic war that …
Tetzveh: Good to the Last Drop
Are you a first drop or a last drop kind of person? When you squeeze an olive, the first drop is the purest, the last drop is extracted from the dregs. A first drop kind of person, is a perfectionist; one who strives for purity and the best in all …
Terumah: Marriage Tips
The Cherubs
Perched atop the Holy Ark that Moses built, were two golden cherubs that faced each other with their wings extended forward to meet at the center of the ark.[1] When King Solomon built the Temple, he made the Holy of holies twenty cubits in breadth. He then fashioned two …
Mishpatim: Sift and Sort
The Torah portion that follows the awe-inspiring story of Mount Sinai, presents formulaic monetary laws and laws of personal injury. Why should the resolution of petty squabbles be the first subject to follow the Sinai event, which surely placed our ancestors on a higher plane? Many answers have been offered, …
Yitro: The Truth Lover
Nothing, But the Truth
Have you ever noticed that there is an entire portion in the Torah named after a proselyte? And not just any portion, but the portion that describes the Ten Commandments. Why was this portion named after Jethro, a proselyte?
Our sages explained that this was a tribute to …
Parsha Insights »
Re’eh: Charity From The Heart
Unhappy Giving
I have a confession. I can’t stand being thanked for giving charity. I just hate it when the person to whom I gave a dollar smiles and heaps lifelong blessings upon me. I usually make a dismissive gesture, wait till they walk away, heave a small sigh of relief …
Yearly Cycle »
Extracting Sparks from Stones
G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like flames” (Jeremiah 23:29). Flames don’t burn unless they have fuel to consume. The same is true of G-d’s words. “For G-d your G-d is a consuming …
Concepts »
Vayeshev: Our Children
Give Me A Break!
After years of wandering, labor and suffering, Jacob returned to his father’s home. All he desired was some peace and quiet to pursue his spiritual goals without distraction. But G-d had a different plan. No sooner had Jacob caught his breath, when tension began to brew between …
Rabbi’s Desk »
What Can We Do?
These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …
