Redeeming Relevance / Rabbi Francis Nataf

One might think that there's nothing we understand better in the world than ourselves--after all, we spend every waking minute with ourselves. But is this self-understanding really the case?

Paradoxically, it is when we confront evil we have the opportunity to make the world a better place.

We are sorely lacking signs from God today. They are lacking, since our courage and resourcefulness often end when we have no indication of what God wants from us. This is the tragic situation of God’s hiding Himself

The Torah's standard for convicting a criminal is set much higher than many contemporary systems of law, that accept one witness. In practice, that means the Torah prefers to let criminals off, rather than punish the innocent

How might Moshe looked back upon his life? Ironically, the man unsurpassed in so many ways may actually have seen himself as a failure. Yet that is certainly the impression one gets from reading through most of this book.

While Moshe may have eventually become even greater than the avos, we must always strive for the faith of his predecessors and for the inner flexibility that such true faith brings with it.

Is this the only question we should ask?

If we truly want to be involved in Torah study, than we, ipso facto, are involved in Torah study.

Holy Tears!

By the time Yaakov becomes Yisrael, however, his worldview has changed dramatically.

Obviously, sin and happy are not words that go together well. But, says Rabbi Yochanan, when people admit to and atone for their sins, that is cause for happiness.

Throughout history, the Jews have not had many friends Faced with a hostile world, when they came across a truly righteous gentile, it was a...

The Torah is telling us something here: Though we may sometimes act too rashly, there are times when rash action is the only way to prevent a complete catastrophe.

In commenting on the story of Nadav and Avihu, Aharon’s two sons who died while presenting a fire offering to God, Rashi does something...

The goal is not to have God do what we want, but rather to do what He wants and thereby sanctify Him in the world. Often, that is accomplished by praying, but sometimes it is better accomplished by not praying – we are to look to halacha to tell us which situation is which

What did Yehudah say that was so effective that it convinced Yosef to make himself known?

So who had it better, Moshe or Aharon?

The role that God played towards the Jews in the desert was not far removed from that of a parent. While they were on the desert, He provided them with the challenges that would allow them to mature

Yehudah, more suited to the role, became leader and not Yosef- the very public candidate for the job

Parshat Nasso and the issue of the sotah and coming face-to-face with our own responsibility and not just throw it on others.

In this week’s parsha, the Torah further develops the statement that opens Parshat Kedsohim, the need to be 'Kadosh.'

At the beginning of this week's parsha, Rashi informs us that Sarah's death was no accident, but rather a result of hearing about Avraham...

a different leader of the next generation steps up and takes action. That leader was Pinchas...True leaders like Pinchas don’t come out of leadership schools. When the time is ripe, they simply emerge. 

Yitzchak, did not go to Be’er Lechai Ro’ee to pray or meditate. Rather he was on a mission, and that mission was to return Hagar to Avraham in marriage.

According to the Baal haTurim the snakes created by the magicians represented Phaorah himself

Given Reuven's less-than-altruistic motivations, the Torah could have given us a much more negative spin on what occurred. But it doesn’t. That is because the bottom line is that Reuven did the right thing. And that is what the Torah cares about the most.

Aharon’s guilt with the golden calf is not clear-cut. What if Moshe were in his brother’s place?

Listening to your biblical partner's voice

‘God doing exactly as He planned’ does not mean that all occurred without any ambivalence & tension.

The Netziv’s point: Self-assessment should be based on who we are, not based on who our neighbor is.