Over the past week, we have seen anti-Israel college takeovers with protestors openly declaring their desire to kill Jews and to render Israel—from the river to the sea—Juden Rein. The brazen tactics and bullying have left many Jewish students and faculty members afraid to venture onto campus. As we approach …
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Pekudei: To Serve Him
Silver Coins
This essay is about silver coins because we will reference it twice in this week’s Torah reading.
The first reference is in the ordinary Torah reading where an accounting is given for the contributions made to the tabernacle. The Torah informs us precisely how much silver was raised and what …
Vayakhel: Love
Shabbat on Saturday
Several weeks ago I was asked why it is necessary to observe Shabbat on Saturday. Suppose I was feeling particularly restful and holy on Tuesday, is there anything wrong with observing Shabbat on Tuesday? Can’t a vast and loving G-d tolerate a Jew that prefers to rest on …
Ki Tisa: Family
Two Subjects
The instruction to keep Shabbat appears in the Torah[1] immediately before the story of the golden Calf. On the face of it the two subjects are unrelated, Shabbat is a celebration of G-d and worship of the Golden Calf was an act of apostasy. Yet their juxtaposition must be …
Tezaveh: Prayer
Hey You!
Have you noticed that Moses’ name is missing from this Torah portion? Whenever G-d speaks to Moses in this portion, He calls him, you, instead of Moses. I don’t know about you, but when someone tries to draw my attention by calling, hey you! I usually respond with, the …
Terumah: The Sanctuary
Why the Replica?
Have you ever noticed that we go out of our way to turn the Sanctuary into a replica of the Bet Hamikdash, the ancient temple?
Our Sanctuaries have arks in which the Torah scroll is housed just as the Temple housed an Ark for the Tablets. The Ark is …
Mishpatim: Learn to Absorb
Absorb It
hortly after giving the Ten Commandments at Sinai, G-d summoned Moses and said, “These are the laws that you should place before them.” He then taught him the Torah, commencing with the laws of slavery, “When you acquire a Hebrew slave…”[1]
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Yisro: Prophecy and Torah
The Prophetic Chain
Do you believe in prophecy? G-d is infinite, we are infinitesimal. Does He really deign to talk us?
This was the big question that Jews faced when they approached Mount Sinai. They knew Moses was a man of G-d and believed that G-d listened to him, but they were …
Parsha Insights »
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, …
Yearly Cycle »
Yearly Cycle: Invitation
Welcome to Innerstream's “Yearly Cycle” section, where essays are posted on Jewish holidays and other days of note.
If you would like to explore any of these essays please click on one of
the links in the “Yearly Cycle” section of the menu, on the left side of
your screen. The menu also …
Concepts »
Ki Tetze: A Happy Marriage
Marriage
Having attended two weddings this month and planning to attend two more next month, marriage is no doubt on my mind. Everyone says that marriage is hard work, yet at a wedding, when an innocent young man and woman are initiated into an endless cycle of hard work, we rejoice …
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 …
