The Space Between Us
Abraham was acting on both occasions--the banishment of Ishmael and the sacrifice of Isaac--against his emotions, his paternal instincts. What is the Torah telling us about the nature of fatherhood?
Of Love And Hate
At the center of the mosaic books is Vayikra. At the center of Vayikra is the “holiness code” (chapter 19) with its momentous call: “You shall be holy because I, the Lord your G-d, am holy.” And at the centre of chapter 19 is a brief paragraph which, by its positioning, is the apex, the high point, of the Torah:
Natural Or Supernatural?
According to Maimonides, the death of the High Priest has nothing to do with guilt or atonement, but simply with the fact that it causes a collective grief so great that it causes people to forget their own misfortunes in the face of a larger national loss.
The Spirituality Of Listening
There is something profoundly spiritual about listening-shema. It is the most effective form of conflict resolution I know.
The March Of Folly
That is the context in which we should read the story of Pharaoh and his advisers. This is one of the first recorded instances of the march of folly. How does it happen?
The Aesthetic In Judaism
The word kavod – dignity or honor – appears sixteen times, but in fourteen (2x7) of these cases the reference is to the glory of G-d.
The Supernatural Miracle
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!
A Father’s Love
It's not difficult understanding why Rebecca loved Jacob, the real question's why Isaac loved Esau?
Closeness And Distance
For perhaps the first time in his life, Judah came close to his brother Joseph. The irony is, of course, that he did not know it was Joseph.
The Cup Of Hope
Only later did I discover the real significance of Elijah’s cup, and found, as so often, that the truth is no less moving than the stories we learned as children.
The Complexity Of Human Rights
We should be free to live as we choose, worship as we choose, and identify as we choose.
The Heroism of Tamar: Covenant and Conversation: Parshat Vayeshev:
This moment is a turning-point in history: Judah is the first person in the Torah explicitly to admit he was wrong
Freedom And Truth
Outside the promised land Jews in the biblical age are in danger if they tell the truth. They are at constant risk of being killed or at best enslaved.
When The “I” Is Silent
Simply too many cases of prayers being answered to deny it makes a difference to our fate. It does.
The Supernatural Miracle
In September 2010, BBC, Reuters and other news agencies reported on a sensational scientific discovery. Researchers at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado showed through computer simulation how the division of the Red Sea might have taken place.
The Closeness Of God
The paradox of Jewish spirituality: No religion holds God higher, but none feels Him closer
The Limits Of Love
Love is central to Judaism: not just love between husband and wife, parent and child, but also love for G-d, for neighbor and stranger.
Yaakov Avinu’s New Name
Note, first, that this is not an adjustment of an existing name by the change or addition of a letter, It is an entirely new name, as if to signal that what it represents is a complete change of character. Second, as we have seen, the name change happened not once but twice. Third – and this is the puzzle of puzzles – having said twice that his name will no longer be Yaakov, the Torah continues to call him Yaakov. G-d Himself does so.
Lifting Heads
The challenge that emerges from the way the Torah describes taking a census is that we must “lift people’s heads.” Never let them feel as if they are merely a number. Make those you meet feel important, especially the people whom others tend to take for granted.
Not Reckoned Among The Nations
Tanach is perhaps the least self-congratulatory national literature in history. Jews chose to record for history their faults, not their virtues.
Even Moses Needed Help
By delegating the judicial function downward, Moses would bring ordinary people – with no special prophetic or legal gifts – into the seats of judgment. Precisely because they lacked Moses’s intuitive knowledge of law and justice, they were able to propose equitable solutions.
Encampments & Journeys
In the sanctuary, the specific domain called “the holy” is where we meet God on His terms, not ours. Yet this too is God’s way of conferring dignity on mankind.
How To Praise And How Not To Praise
Lena told the families with whom she was working that every day they must notice each member of the family doing something right, and say so – specifically, positively and thankfully.
The Politics Of Responsibility
Only one other nation in history has consistently seen its fate in similar terms, namely the United States. The influence of the Hebrew Bible on American history – carried by the Pilgrim Fathers and reiterated in presidential rhetoric ever since – was decisive.
Conversation Is The Key To Understanding
From Parshat Vayeishev to the end of Sefer Bereishit, we read the story of Joseph and his brothers. From the very beginning we are plunged into a drama of sibling rivalry that seems destined to end in tragedy.
The Birth Of Forgiveness
Forgiveness does not appear in every culture. It is not a human universal, nor is it a biological imperative.
The Fewest of All Peoples
What happened to all the promises of Bereishit, that Abraham’s children would be numerous, uncountable, as many as the stars of the sky, the dust of the earth, and the grains of sand on a seashore?
The Pursuit Of Meaning
For each of us G-d has a task: work to perform, a kindness to show, a gift to give, love to share, loneliness to ease, pain to heal, or broken lives to help mend.
The Tabernacle’s Lesson
The story of the Creation of the World is told with the utmost brevity: a mere 34 verses. Why take some 15 times as long to tell the story of the Sanctuary?
On Not Being A Victim
Remarkably, despite the exiles and horrors of history, Jews did not see themselves as victims. This is the message Moses imparts throughout sefer Devarim: Never define yourself as a victim