Torah
And so it begins again. This week, Parshat Bereshit, we have the opportunity to open our Torah scroll to the very beginning and take it from the top. The creation of the world. The almost immediate expulsion from paradise. The flood, Abraham and Sarah, enslavement and freedom, wandering, entering the…
A Temple Chai member approached me at the nosh a couple of weeks ago with the words, “Rabbi, can I ask you to do me a favor?” I replied, “Of course, anything!” And I really meant it! Knowing this individual as I do, I felt completely comfortable to say yes…
Eliezer has a tough job in this week’s Torah portion. How would you like to be responsible for choosing a partner for your boss’s child? Talk about pressure! Yet, he comes up with a unique way to assess who would make the best wife for Isaac. Eliezer and his entourage…
We all know the story of this week’s Torah portion, how Noah is identified as the only righteous person in his generation, and delegated to build an ark, bring the animals in two by two and save humanity post-flood. Noah dutifully complies and the ark sails away with his family,…
I recently read that “Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” (Carl Bard) To me, this was the perfect reflection on this week’s Torah portion, Bereshit. Following the intensity of the High Holidays and…
Listen to the words of Frank Sinatra’s memorable tune, “My Way.” And now the end is hereAnd so I face that final curtainMy friend I’ll make it clearI’ll state my case, of which I’m certainI’ve lived a life that’s fullI traveled each and every highwayAnd more, much more than this…
The word “Emor,” the name of this week’s Torah portion, means “speak.” In the Torah, God gives instruction to Moses to pass along to the priests. In other words, SPEAK to the priests. I’m translating Emor as “speak up.” The Department of Homeland Security tells us, “If you see something,…
There are, traditionally, 613 mitzvot in the Torah. Fifty One of them are found in this week’s parsha, Kedoshim. Kadosh, of course, means holiness. It’s the root of many words that are familiar- kiddush, the blessing over the wine, kaddish, the prayer that occurs in many forms in the prayerbook,…
The name of this week’s Torah portion is “Vaetchanan.” The word can be translated as- “I begged, I pleaded, I entreated.” It is a poignant and heartbreaking moment. Think about the times in your life when you wanted something so desperately that you begged, pleaded, or entreated someone for them? …
There is a lot of anger in this week’s Torah portion. Beginning with verbal commitments made by women which can be nullified by the men in their lives, to revenge taken against the Midianites, to the tribes that want to stay on the east side of the Jordan. Protection is…