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 …
A Curious Order
Tzara’as was a skin condition prevalent in Biblical times. Our sages taught that rather than a physical illness tzara’as was a symptom of a spiritual malaise; it struck the gossip as a consequence of Lashon Hara.
Tzara’as exhibited in four places, on skin, hair, clothing and the walls of …
And He Was Silent
In the middle of his inauguration Aaron, the High Priest, suffered a terrible personal tragedy; the sudden death of his two elder sons. Moses offered words of comfort, but Aaron was silent; he accepted the Divine judgment with a full measure of faith. Our sages taught that …
What is Matzah?
Almost everyone knows the answer to that one; it is the cracker like bread, round or square, hand or machine made, that we eat on Passover. True enough, say the Jewish mystics, but wrong answer; matzah is bread of faith. (1) How so?
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Shabbat and the King
The Shabbat before Passover is known as Shabbat Hagadol, the great Shabbat. Among the reasons for this name is that Passover is itself described in the Torah as Shababt, but it is not as restrictive as a full Shabbat – cooking for example is permissible on Passover …
The Small Aleph
Letters in the Hebrew alphabet also serve as numerals. Aleph, the first letter of the alphabet, represents the numeral one. It is thus fitting that Elokim, G-d`s name and Anochi, the first word of the Ten Commandments, begin with the Aleph, which represents true and singular oneness. (1)
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The Conundrum
I have a friend, a brilliant intellectual, who does not suffer fools lightly. From time to time I invite him to Synagogue and he reminds me that he does not have much tolerance for those who make too much of ritual and pay little heed to its underlying philosophy.
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The Golden Calf
In the desert our ancestors built and worshiped a golden calf. In our enlightened age we don’t deify calves or even gold for that matter, but in some ways we still behave as if gold were indeed the object of our worship.
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Two Stones
The vestments of the high priest included two beautiful stones that adorned his shoulders. These stones, which were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes, served to invoke the memory of the Jewish nation as the High Priest discharged his duties in the temple’s inner sanctum. In the …