When G-d disciplines us, the pain is real—but it is born of love. When He gives freely, we feel His kindness. When He withholds or corrects, His love is less visible—but in truth, it runs even deeper.
Read the full story »B’haalotcha: Live every Moment
An Invitation
Just before the Jews departed Sinai, Moses invited his father in Law to join them. Jethro wasn’t a Jew from birth; he was a priest, who had converted first to monotheism and later Judaism. Moses was somewhat hesitant about his invitation as apparent from the following text.
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Naso: Judaism Is Egalitarian
Equal Access
When the words religious egalitarian are spoken they usually refer to gender equality, but I have something entirely different in mind. I am referring to the absence of a caste system in Judaism. Jews don’t subscribe to a pyramid scheme that requires the laity to access G-d via priests …
Shavuot: How To Celebrate An Anniversary?
Ani-Very-Sorry
Shavuot is the anniversary of the day we received the Torah. Almost every year before my anniversary my friends ask, so what are you going to do for your anniversary? I submit that a much better question would be what is your anniversary going to do for you? And if …
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, …
K’doshim: Is Crossbreeding Permitted?
Crossbreeding
Throughout history farmers and breeders experimented with crossbreeding seeking the most enduring specimen. Despite the popularity of this practice we Jews must ask, is crossbreeding permitted?
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Shemini: Pre Determinism or Free Choice
If G-d Knew…
When Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aaron, passed away in their prime Moses intimated that their passing was foretold by G-d. [1] Our problem is this: if G-d had foreknowledge of their death, He must have had foreknowledge of the sin for which they died, [2] which raises …
Tazria Metzora: Do We Really Have Free Choice?
When We Are Free
Those among us raised in free societies, whose earliest impressions were molded by values of democracy, cherish the principle of free choice. We believe deeply that the freedom to choose is integral to the human condition and we intuitively reject notions of pre-determinsm.
We cannot stomach the idea …
Sir Martin Gilbert
I am very glad to give this endorsement to Rabbi Lazer Gurkow, whom I have known for more than four years, and to whose sermons it is always a delight to listen. Rabbi Gurkow draws out, in each Dvar Torah, a fascinating, wide ranging and profound perspective that never fails to stimulate thought, in the …
Parsha Insights »
Are We Equal?
Are we truly equal? We all know someone smarter, wiser, more capable, industrious, resourceful, or creative, than us. We also know people less wise, capable, industrious, resourceful, or creative than us. So, are we truly equal?
The answer is yes, but not because we are all equally capable. Our skill sets …
Yearly Cycle »
Seventenn of Tamuz: Destruction and Hope
During the Hebrew month of Tamuz, Jews around the world observe a three-week semi mourning period to commemorate the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
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Concepts »
Inviting G-d To Dinner
Why did our sages seem to think that having radishes and lettuce at every meal is a good thing?
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 …
