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The Mysteries of the Moedim When I was growing up, whether those around me were religious or not, we all understood that Yom Kippur was the holiest day of the year. All we needed to do was to listen to Kol Nidre, the sounding of the shofar, to fast if we were old enough, and then […]
Returning to our Roots This week’s portion is one of the shortest portions in the Torah, but it is full of richness and although it is just one chapter, it is an extract of the human experience, summarized in a prophecy in the form of a song. This Shabbat which falls between Rosh Hashanah and […]
My Way or God’s Way? As I read Deuteronomy 29 and 30 in Parashat Nitzavim, I stood back in order to see the bigger picture, as our rabbi taught us, and it occurred to me that these verses hold the key to understanding the entire Torah. Throughout the 40 years in the wilderness, God repeated […]
“Strive, Don’t Give Up.” This portion Ki Tavo contains many treasures from which I would like to present a few central themes: The first theme: the Israelites were invited to remember His Divine protection, at all times, going from a past that they didn’t know when it says that an Aramaean wanted to kill their […]
“What has Happened to Human Rights”? This week’s haftarah portion for us is Isaiah 52:13 – 54: 10. Just as a note of interest, our sages removed chapter 53 from the weekly readings due to its controversial nature. It clearly speaks about a figure who we Jewish people have had trouble understanding because of the […]
Can we Change the World? In 1789 France, the conflict between the French Revolution and the Catholic Church resulted in the separation of church and state and the supremacy of the state prevailed. In 1863 USA, democracy was described by President Abraham Lincoln as a “Government of the people, by the people and for the […]
Do We Have Eyes? Let’s Use Them. This week’s portion, Re’eh describes various topics that are related to sight – to seeing, in other words, “perceiving and correctly interpreting the light waves that we receive”; we make decisions according to what we see. According to modern science, vision occurs when light is processed by the […]
Taken from Rabbi’s message 23 Av 5778 Let us “Dig in our Heels” (ekev) In Parashat Ekev, Moshe is reminding the Israelites about the intense training that they had gone through during their 40 years in the desert. The main desire of our Creator was to teach them and us principles by which to live […]
Who is the Torah for? Last week I was asked this question by someone who is writing his second book, “Do you have anything you can suggest from your rabbi’s teachings that underscores the importance of Israel for the church to know?” My first thought was “Why is that only important for the church?” The […]
Are we being a good example for the next generation? Our parashah begins with “Ehle ha Devarim – These are the Words”. The subject “Who wrote Devarim?” (Words), the last of the five books of the Torah, is much debated by our sages. Some believe that it was written by Moshe alone but these types […]
