There is a Chasidic story about a beloved rebbe who passed away and was succeeded by his son. Though only a child, the new rebbe had already been recognized as a wondrous prodigy. People came from all over to ask him their most personal and difficult questions, and his answers did not disappoint them. He Continue Reading »
D’VAR TORAH PARSHA HA’AZINU Deuteronomy 32:1-52 The dog ate my homework. The ball hit a rock. The sun was in my eyes. We all know what these are–they are excuses. Fictitious justifications for our failure to take responsibility for our actions. Responsibility is one of the themes of this week’s poetically powerful parsha, Ha’azinu, Continue Reading »
“I am not a man of words…” “lo ish d’varim anochi…” (Exodus 4:10) That was how Moses first responded to God’s call to lead our people. Yet somehow that man who declared himself unqualified, as slow of speech and inept with words, overcame his fears, led the children of Israel to freedom, gave them the Torah, Continue Reading »
The Dubner Maggid told a parable that speaks poignantly to this moment in the cycle of the Jewish year: A champion marksman was passing through a tiny village when he saw a hundred circles drawn on the side of a barn – and in the center of each circle was a bullet hole. The man Continue Reading »
This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teizei contains more laws than any other parashah in the Torah — 72, to be exact. The purpose was not to provide a code that the average Israelite would carry around to consult at any given moment; rather, it was to cultivate a certain sensibility, awareness, and attitude. Nowhere is Continue Reading »
The following verses resonate loudly to me from this week’s Parsha, Shoftim, from the book of Deuteronomy (16:18-20): (18) You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. (19) You shall not judge unfairly; you Continue Reading »
In this week’s parashah, Moses teaches the Israelites a lesson that will be critical to their success as a nation. When you enter the Promised Land, he says, “you shall not act at all as we now act here, every person as he [or she] pleases.”(1) To build a healthy society, he says, everyone must sacrifice Continue Reading »
Not many people know that I am fascinated by astronomy. Gazing at the cosmos, especially at pictures of the galaxies like those captured by the Hubble telescope, fills me with awe and wonder. But even more than by the majesty and beauty of the heavens, I am amazed by star power, by the fact that Continue Reading »
This Shabbat, the Shabbat preceding Tisha B’Av, is called Shabbat Chazon, named for the chazon, the vision of the Prophet Isaiah that is the Haftarah for this day. It is a dark and menacing vision of the impending doom the Israelites are bringing upon themselves. They are guilty of spiritual hypocrisy, says Isaiah, for they Continue Reading »
This week we have a double portion: Matot, meaning Tribes, and Masei, meaning Journeys. We are at the end of B’midbar, the book of Numbers, and in the fortieth year of wandering in the desert. This portion addresses diverse topics and makes for interesting reading. It begins with a list of laws relating to the Continue Reading »
