Parashat Va-eira; Exodus 6:2-9:35 This week’s Torah portion Va-eira begins in the book of Exodus chapter 6, verse 2. In Hebrew this book is called Sh’mot – the Book of Names. The fifteenth century Italian commentator Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno teaches that “a name describes the individual features of a person. And these individual features are Continue Reading »
It is appropriate on this Martin Luther King Day Shabbat, that we read in parshat Sh’mot the story of how the Israelites became enslaved by the Egyptians, and how they started on their road to redemption. As I read through the parashah I am struck by Pharoah’s attempt to enlist the Israelite midwives in thesubjugation Continue Reading »
Parashat Vayechi Genesis 47:28 – 50:26 This week’s parsha is Vayechi, which means “and he lived.” It is the final portion of the Book of Genesis and the end of the Joseph Cycle. This being a family Shabbat, and with your indulgence, I’d like to specifically include our young people in sharing my comments. As Continue Reading »
There is a human tendency to look to the future through the rear-view mirror — to assume that what was is what will be, and that what is happening now will inevitably continue. The Torah does not share this view. It sees every moment as filled with possibility and potential for change. This attitude, this Continue Reading »
On November 1, Israel held its fifth round of elections in less than four years. The good news is that the vote was free and fair. It was an unquestionable, unassailable exercise in representative democracy. The bad news for those committed to liberal democracy and religious pluralism is that the voice of the people has Continue Reading »
The Torah contains many examples of what I like to call “billboard moments” – moments when the text distills a kernel of life’s wisdom into a pithy statement you would want to put on a billboard to announce to the world. These include sayings like: “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” or “love your neighbor as Continue Reading »
This week’s parsha is Vayishalach, meaning “and he sent.” As the portion opens, Jacob is sending messengers to his twin brother Esau, who he has not seen since he left Canaan 20 years earlier. The message to be delivered is that Jacob has prospered, and he hopes to please and impress Esau with his material Continue Reading »
I asked Rabbi Gluck for the opportunity to write the Shabbat message this week as tonight marks the beginning of the National Donor Sabbath celebrating organ donation, commonly called the “Gift of Life.” Organ donation is a subject near and dear to my family – in December 2003, I received a kidney from one of Continue Reading »
In this week’s parashah, the Jewish people is born with God’s call to Abraham “Lech l’cha, Go forth…go forth to a land that I will show you.” God promises that Abraham will be the founder of a great nation. God will bless Abraham and make his name great, and he will a source of blessing Continue Reading »
The Story of Noah and the Flood belongs to a genre known as apocalyptic literature. Found mostly in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, these scriptures describe cataclysmic events that will occur before God intervenes to redeem the world. All these prophecies speak of events that will occur at the End of Days, with Continue Reading »
