The Fourteenth Principle
Simply, for Rambam the number 14 (2x7) was his favored organizing principle.
The Last Command
By now Moses had given 612 commands to the Israelites. But there was one further instruction he still had to give, the last of his life, the final mitzvah in the Torah:
“Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be My witness against the people of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31: 19).
The Limits Of Grief
The more we learn about the psychology of bereavement and the stages through which we must pass before loss is healed, so more the wisdom of Judaism’s ancient laws and customs becomes ever more clear.
To Renew Our Days
The last two commands of the Torah, mentioned in this week's parsha-Hakhel and the command to write, or at take part in writing, a Sefer Torah-are about renewal, first collective, then individual.
The World’s Oldest Man
Abraham and Holocaust survivors shared the commitment to first building the future and only then allowing themselves to remember the past. That is what Abraham did in this week’s parsha.
The Miracle Of A Child
Why the binding? Why put Abraham and Sarah through the agony of thinking that the son for whom they have waited for so long is about to die? We cherish what we wait for and what we most risk losing.
Leadership Beyond Despair
Tanach, the Hebrew Bible, is remarkable for the extreme realism with which it portrays human character. Its heroes are not superhuman. Its non-heroes are not archetypal villains. The best have failings; the worst often have saving virtues. I know of no other religious literature quite like it.
Building Builders
As soon as we read the opening lines of Terumah we begin the massive shift from the intense drama of the exodus with its signs and wonders and epic events, to the long, detailed narrative of how the Israelites constructed the Mishkan.
‘Be Not Afraid Of Greatness’
God’s “name” is therefore His standing in the world. Do people acknowledge Him, respect Him, honor Him?
Turning Curses Into Blessings
Jewish history isn't just Jews enduring catastrophes but renewing themselves after every disaster
What Is The Theme Of The Stories Of Genesis?
he first 11 chapters of Genesis teach us many fundamentals of faith; Exodus to Deuteronomy is about revelation and redemption. But what are Genesis 12-50 about?
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:
The Cry On Yom Kippur
When we cry from the heart, someone listens; When we cry on Yom Kippur, God hears us.
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.
The Lighting Of Candles
Sharing influence is like lighting a candle with another: it doesn't mean having less; you have more
The White Lie
Truthfulness is a fundamental value in Jewish yet truth isn't its highest value. Peace is. Why so?
On The Move
Like our bodies, our souls were not made for sitting still. We were made for moving, learning, searching, striving, growing
Social Capital And Fallen Donkeys
Never be in too much of a rush to stop and come to the aid of someone in need of help. Rarely, if ever, will you better invest your time. It may take a moment but its effect may last a lifetime
Reconciliation vs. Vengeance
Judaism is less a philosophical system than a field of tensions – between universalism and particularism, for example, or exile and redemption, priests and prophets, cyclical and linear time, and so on.
The Necessity of Asking Questions
Judaism believes it’s a religious duty to teach our children to ask questions.
Prescriptions For Conflict Resolution
The negotiation between Moses and the tribes of Reuven and Gad is a model of conflict resolution.
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.
Silencing The ‘I’ To Meet God
How do we come to know that “God is in this place”? “By ve’anokhi lo yadati – not knowing the I. ”We sense the “Thou” of the Divine Presence when we move beyond the “I” of egocentricity. Only when we stop thinking about ourselves do we become truly open to the world and the Creator.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: The Power Of Art
The name Bezalel was adopted by the artist Boris Schatz for the School of Arts and Crafts he founded in Israel in 1906, and Rav Kook wrote a touching letter in support of its creation. He saw the renaissance of art in the Holy Land as a symbol of the regeneration of the Jewish people in its own land, landscape and birthplace. Judaism in the Diaspora, removed from a natural connection with its own historic environment, was inevitably cerebral and spiritual, “alienated.”
Restoring Order and Maintaining Peace
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you fail. Such is life.