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 »Vayeshev: Revenge Is A Boomerang
It is Fated
It is an irony of fate that acts of revenge frequently backfire. The more spiteful the act, the grander its failure.
One of my favorite stories in Jewish lore is of a wealthy employer who was irritated by his Jewish employee, who frequently praised G-d, rather than the employer, …
Vayishlach: The Self Conscious Jew
The Wedding
What did King David mean when he wrote “I was forgotten from the heart like the dead, I was [remembered] as the vessel went missing?” (1)
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Vayetze: Are you Content?
A Reason to live
Are you content with life? You make a living, enjoy a circle of close-knit friends and are loved by family; does this suffice to contend?
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Toldot: On Being a Mentch
Fill Me Up – I’m Famished
Would you find it distasteful if I barged into your home while you were cooking stew, peeked into your pot and demanded, as Esau did of Jacob, “Pour some of that red stuff down my throat; I’m exhausted!” (1)
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Chayei Sarah: Finding Sacred Space
The Quest
Human beings are full of aspirations and regrets, ambitions and failures, cravings and discipline, obsessions and the ability to control them. We are fractured beings with fragments that pull us in every direction. This is because we are unable to focus; every time we set our sights on a …
Vayera: The Importance of Objectivity
What Really Happened?
Back in the early part of this decade when the war of terror was in full swing I would frequently ask visitors from Israel if the situation was as bad as the media made it sound. They were never surprised by my questions; they knew that as a …
Lech Lecha: The Jewish Flu
The Shot
Would you knowingly invite a friend to your home if s/he had the flu? As a parent I am always grateful when invited guests beg off because they have the sniffles. I have children at home and would never expose them to a communicable disease; not even the common …
Noach: Tolerate or Love
Tolerate or Love
Which is the better model, to tolerate or love? Tolerant people respect everyone’s right and wish to do as they please, loving people get involved in the lives of their beloved. They will be right up there in your face, but with love. The others will watch you …
Parsha Insights »
B’Midbar: Everyone Counts
The Census
During the forty years of our ancestors’ journey across the dessert their census was taken a total of four times, one of which is recorded in this week’s Parsha.
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Yearly Cycle »
New Year Greeting 5770: Words Make A Difference
When I visit my parents in Boston I am often struck by the adjustment in dimension from my childhood memories. Everything that I remembered as large, houses, streets, pools and yards, seem small by comparison. The only exceptions are the trees that enclose my parents’ backyard. They seemed huge back …
Concepts »
Vayera: A Person of Destiny
Sodom would soon be aflame, and Lot and his family were being shepherded from the city. It was not his destiny to die that night. It was his destiny to live. But why? Lot thought it was on account of his good deeds, but that wasn’t the case. It was …
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 …
