Do you peddle in relative truths, or are you a stickler for the absolute truth? This essay examines the two types of truth and posits that G-d’s truth is absolute.
Read the full story »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 …
Beshalach: From Many One
Unity
A subtle and often overlooked aspect of the Red Sea split is that many particles of water coalesced into a single wall. From many one, is a common theme in the human quest. We find it in science, logic, art and elsewhere. The idea is always to take disparate pieces …
Bo: Hebrew Months
First Month
The Jewish calendar is confusing. The Hebrew months have names, but they are Persian in origin. Why do Hebrew months have Persian names? Another question: These names are not employed by the Five Books of Moses or the Books of the Prophets, when were they adopted into our culture?
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Vaera: Determination
Hard Heart
When Moses and Aaron first came to Pharaoh they made a reasonable request, let my people go for three days so they could worship G-d in the desert. Pharaoh denied this request and dismissed the miracles that Aaron performed to prove the authenticity of their message. At this point …
Shemot: Faith in Auschwitz
Where was G-d?
Where was G-d during the Holocaust is one of a questions fielded by theologians and religious thinkers. Is it possible to believe in G-d despite such tragedy? Was faith possible in Auschwitz?
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Vayechi: Anguish
No Break
If you have ever seen a Torah Scroll you know that it contains paragraph breaks. Some paragraphs are longer than others, but at the end of the paragraph there is usually a break, especially at the end of a portion. There are very few portions that are not preceded …
Vayigash: Longing for G-d
The Bank Manager
Suppose you were a bank manager responsible for the bank’s cash. Would you lock the money in the vault at the end of each day or store the money in your desk till the end of the month and bring it all to the vault at once? Most …
Canukah: Despite the Odds
The Source of Light
In the course of life there are times of joy and of melancholy. When we are surrounded by friends and a constructive support network, when we are successful at home and at work, when we are satisfied with personal progress and development it is easy to coast …
Parsha Insights »
Matos Masei: Marijuana and Knives
Marijuana and knives, what’s the connection?
Knives
In his book, The Better Angels of Our Nature,[1] Steven Pinker writes that he always had a difficult time with the rule of etiquette that doesn’t permit using a knife to shovel food onto the fork. He writes that after working without success to coax …
Yearly Cycle »
A Year Filled With Miracles
Before we light the Chanukah candles, we chant a blessing to thank G-d for the miracles he performed in those days at this time. The basic meaning is that G-d performed miracles for us many years ago during this time of year. A deeper meaning is that G-d performed miracles …
Concepts »
Make Your Desert Bloom
Every year, we read a Torah portion called Bamidbar—in the desert—on the Shabbat before Shavuot. This portion describes the census of the Jews in the desert. Just as we count forty-nine days and then celebrate Shavuot, so should we read about the counting of the Jews and then celebrate Shavuot.
This …
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 …
