Redeeming Relevance on the Weekly Parsha: Tazria

For humans, reducing flesh is generally a good thing whereas its expansion is generally a bad thing

The Torah’s Atomic Weapon

The incense that burned on this altar has always attracted special interest for its unusual life-giving properties

Redeeming Relevance: The Torah’s Atomic Weapon

Man is attracted to the short cut that the supernatural road provides; there is a place for the supernatural in God’s world. It is tucked away under lock and key not for us to use.

Finding Just the Right Gift… for God

Rather than keeping it only to herself, Chava showed her love for her husband by sacrificing her own consumption of the fruit, allowing him to eat part of it instead.

Redeeming Relevance: The Mishkan’s Opportunity Cost

For most of us, sacred spaces help us to focus, whereas we would otherwise not focus at all. Hence they are worth the opportunity cost they create. But we are well advised to keep that cost in mind. The fact that we are able to focus on God in the synagogue does not mean we should forget God outside!

Redeeming Relevance: Moshe’s Sober Consolation

And so Moshe’s ultimate message here, according to Netziv, may be that even if the curses are fulfilled, that is no reason to abandon God.

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Shoftim: Self-Knowledge is not Self-Understanding

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?

Redeeming Relevance: Forgiving Made Easy

Almost always, the reason we are not willing to forgive offenses against us has almost nothing to do with the offense, and everything to do with it being done to us. Once we can internalize this, we can move to a God’s-eye perspective and forgive others more easily.

Redeeming Relevance in the Weekly Parsha: Ki Tissa

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

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Shoftim: Of Witnesses, Keruvim and Clones

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

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Shemot: To Help is Noble, to Give a Sign is Divine

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

Redeeming Relevance in the Weekly Parsha: Yitro

Shemot relates the transition from the story of one family-Yaakov’s-to the story of a nation-Israel

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Naso: The Place of the Displaced, the Replaced and the Misplaced

Three laws seemingly unconnected and out of place: theft from a convert; sotah; and nazir. Why are they here, in Parshat naso?

The Sukkah and Exile’s Positive Side

Sukkot is a holiday that brings a unique inner peace – a peace that would seem to resemble the messianic era, a universal acceptance of God’s moral and spiritual order; an order that is best advanced by helping the Jewish people serve God and further educate mankind.

Redeeming Relevance: A Bittersweet Song You Better Remember: Parshas Ha’azinu & Jewish Destiny

God’s foremost desire is to conduct a relationship with the Jewish people built on love and commitment. The song of Ha’azinu reassures us that the relationship will never die.

The Benefits of the Evil Amongst Us

Exposure to evil prevents us from an illusion of pleasant stability--and stability is the very thing that prevents the good from getting better.

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Beshalach: The Sin of Nostalgia

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

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Vayakhel: Dr. Frankenstein’s Melacha

Perhaps in the midst of the great uncertainties created by the Coronavirus pandemic, it is all too easy to remember that we are not God. But the temptation to think otherwise still exists. And once the pandemic will be over and man will continue to build better and better tools to control his fate and his environment, that temptation will regain its strength

The Lethal Challenge of Learning Torah from Others

The pernicious difficulty of keeping self-love in check and not having it warp the way in which we see others is brought to our attention in the story of R. Elazar

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Toldot: When a Son Confronts a Father and When a Father...

On the face of it, a conventional exchange between father and son, we see it nowhere else in Tanakh. Moreover both discussions take place at pivotal points in which the respective father-son relationships are tested to their limits.

Redeeming Relevance: Rosh Hashanah: What was Avraham Supposed to do for an Encore?

No matter how hard we work on ourselves, we can never be totally prepared for the challenges ahead. And that is actually a good thing. Not only would life be less interesting, but a great deal of its meaning would otherwise be taken away. As Rebbe Nachman said, “If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?”

Redeeming Relevance in Parshat Behar

Faith is responding to demands that we wouldn’t think of taking on were we left to our own devices.

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Korach: What to do When Our Decisions Bring Casualties

Many of the commentators find a disturbingly strong rationale in the Jews’ complaint mentioned above. The complainers were essentially blaming Moshe for setting up a murderous trap for the two hundred and fifty men that contested the choice of Aharon and his sons as priests.

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Metzora: Flesh

That man is more than flesh is obvious to the Torah, but the Torah’s task is to make it obvious to man.

Redeeming Relevance: A People Chosen for Opposition

While there is plenty of room for cooperation and interaction with other larger cultures, it is important for the Jewish people to remember that a key role God wants it to play is to often stand on the other side and follow our own path.

Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Netzavim

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

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