When Truth Is Sacrificed To Power
That Moses needed to resort to force was itself a sign that he had been dragged down to the level of the rebels. That is what happens when power, not truth, is at stake.
The Virtues Of Judaism
Who am I? What are the most important things in my life? What do I want to be remembered for? If, as a purely...
On Being A Jewish Parent
What then does the Torah say about Abraham? The answer is unexpected and very moving. Abraham was chosen simply to be a father.
The Religious Significance Of Israel
Whatever the subplots and subsidiary themes of the Chumash, its overarching narrative is the promise of and journey to the land. Jewish history begins with Avraham and Sarah’s journey to it. The four subsequent books of the Torah, from Exodus to Deuteronomy, are taken up with the second journey in the days of Moshe.
Covenant & Conversation: Parshat Terumah: The Labour of Gratitude
That is why a society based on rights NOT responsibilities, on what we claim from, not what we give to others, will always eventually go wrong.
Hierarchy And Politics: The Never-Ending Story
Where there is hierarchy, there will be competition as to who is the alpha male.
Arbitration Vs. Litigation
We must never forget that when Aaron was left to lead, the people made a golden calf. But never forget that Moses needed an Aaron to hold the people together. In short, leadership is the capacity to hold together different temperaments, conflicting voices and clashing values.
Why Oaths And Vows Matter
All social institutions in a free society depend on trust, and trust means honoring our promises, doing what we say we will do.
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.
To 120: Growing Old, Staying Young
Age brings the reflection and detachment that allows us to stand back and not be swept along by the mood of the moment or passing fashion or the madness of the crowd.
The Idea That Changed The World
To this day American politics is based on the biblical idea of covenant. American presidents almost always invoke this idea in their Inaugural Addresses in language that owes its cadences and concepts to the book of Devarim.
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 Religious Significance of Israel
Only in Israel can the Jewish people construct a political system, an economy, and an environment on the template of Jewish values.
The Space Between
In Judaism kadosh, holy, means separation. To sanctify is to separate. Why? Because when we separate, we create order. We defeat chaos. We give everything and everyone their space.
Yaakov And Eisav: Reason Vs. Instinct
Who then were Esau and Jacob? What did they represent and how is this relevant to Yom Kippur and atonement?
The Jewish Journey
Jews don’t stand still except when standing before G-d. The universe, from galaxies to subatomic particles, is in constant motion, and so is the Jewish soul.
Parshat Vayishlach: Physical Fear, Moral Distress
Moral dilemmas are situations in which doing the right thing is not the end of the matter. The conflict may be inherently tragic. Jacob, in this parsha, finds himself trapped in such a conflict: on the one hand, he ought not allow himself to be killed; on the other, he ought not kill someone else; but he must do one or the other.
The Necessity of Asking Questions
Judaism believes it’s a religious duty to teach our children to ask questions.
Two Types Of Community
A long drama had taken place. Moses had led the people from slavery to the beginning of the road to freedom. The people themselves had witnessed G-d at Mount Sinai, the only time in all history when an entire people became the recipients of revelation. Then came the disappearance of Moses for his long sojourn at the top of the mountain, an absence which led to the Israelites’ greatest collective sin, the making of the Golden Calf. Moses returned to the mountain to plead for forgiveness, which was granted.
Do Not Shame: Tamar’s Righteous Lesson
Tamar realizes Judah has no intention of giving her his last son. Now trapped-an agunah-she acts
The Kindness Of Strangers
Providing shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, assistance to the poor; visiting the sick, comforting mourners and providing a dignified burial for all became constitutive of Jewish life.
Judaism’s Three Voices
There are holy times and holy places, and each time and place has its own integrity, its own setting in the total scheme of things.
The Arc Of The Moral Universe
This is a doctrine fundamental to Judaism and its understanding of evil and suffering in the world: G-d is just.
The Torah As Environmentalist
Areligious vision is so important, reminding us that we are not owners of our resources. They belong not to us but to the Eternal and eternity. Hence we may not needlessly destroy-even in war
The Necessity of Asking Questions
Judaism is not a religion of blind obedience. Indeed, astonishingly in a religion of 613 commandments, there is no Hebrew word that means to obey.
The Continuity Of Death And Life
In the Torah, law and narrative are intertwined for the very profound reason that G-d’s law is not arbitrary. It speaks to the human condition, arising out of human history.
Servant Leadership
Moses represents the birth of a new kind of leadership. That is what Korach and his followers did not understand. Many of us do not understand it still.
Why Be Jewish
The sages believed with great force that an agreement must be free to be binding. Yet we did not agree to be Jews. We were, most of us, born Jews. We were not there in Moses’ day when the agreement was made. We did not yet exist. How then can we be bound by the covenant?
From Despair To Hope
To be a Jew is to seek to make a difference, to change lives for the better, to heal some of the scars of our fractured world. But people don’t like change.
The Disappearance Of Yizchak
Itzchak, having grown up in the household of Avraham and Sarah, had never encountered deception before, and was thus, in his innocence, misled by his son. Rivka, who had grown up in the company of Lavan, recognized it very well, which is why she favored Yaakov,