Though I’m not in town this Shabbat, I wanted to leave you with an urgent message to be sure to participate in the 2020 World Zionist Congress elections, which remain open until March 11. As I embark on several days in Washington at the AIPAC Policy Conference and Shabbaton, I will be among nearly 20,000 Continue Reading »
Earlier this week, we studied the Torah’s first post-Sinai law: what happens when your Hebrew slave, whose six years of servitude are coming to a close, doesn’t want to leave you. “But if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, and my wife and children: I do not wish to go free,’ his master shall Continue Reading »
One of the most fascinating questions in the history of Jewish thought is the matter of chosenness. We affirm this doctrine every time we are called up to the Torah for an aliyah. In our blessings, we praise God “who chose us from among the nations and gave us His Torah.” On this Shabbat Yitro, it’s fitting Continue Reading »
We are excited to welcome our scholar-in-residence, the renowned Israeli journalist Tal Schneider, this Shabbat. No doubt she’ll address the many conflicts that persist in both Israeli and American politics, and the somewhat complex relationship between Israeli and American Jews. It’s also Shabbat Shirah, the Shabbat of Song, so I’ll spend a few moments exploring the Continue Reading »
It is fascinating to trace the evolution of Pharaoh’s reactions to the barrage of plagues that God brings against him and his people. By the end of last week’s Torah portion, he has come a long way since his initial reaction to Moshe’s message. The man who once said “I do not know the LORD Continue Reading »
I keep an email folder on each and every weekly Torah portion, collecting wisdom and commentary from a wide variety of published sources. Since I am a firm believer in Judaism’s emphasis on reading and listening over writing and speaking, I consult my teachers and colleagues to see what texts and ideas inspire them. For Continue Reading »
When we think of spirituality, we usually think of things ephemeral and esoteric. The term itself is based on a word, spirit, that is intangible and therefore not subject to the rules that apply to concrete and tangible things. That would lead one to think that there is little-to-no connection between the spirit and the Continue Reading »
In the final moments of his life, our third patriarch, Ya’akov, prepares to give his children a picture of the future. Instead, he proceeds to reflect on their past. “And Ya’akov called his sons and said, ‘Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come…Reuven, you are my Continue Reading »
Now that Yosef has told his brothers who he really is, it’s time to get his father to join the rest of the family in Egypt. What’s more, when Pharaoh gets word of the connection, he instructs Yosef to tell his brothers to fetch their dad and reunite the family. “Do as follows: take from Continue Reading »
Now that Yosef has told his brothers who he really is, it’s time to get his father to join the rest of the family in Egypt. What’s more, when Pharaoh gets word of the connection, he instructs Yosef to tell his brothers to fetch their dad and reunite the family. “Do as follows: take from Continue Reading »
