For many of us this has perhaps seen like a year of hopelessness. The nation is politically bifurcated and the negative campaign ads continually suggest that we are on the verge of collapse and driving over the cliff. But the…
Author: Rabbi Paul
Does God Need a Press Secretary?
It seems to me that God could use a good press secretary. You know, like C.J. on the classic TV show West Wing. Though she is a semi-fictional creation of Hollywood, C.J. is the perfect prototype of the professional spin-doctors…
B’Shalach – Stuck In the Middle With You
There is something very interesting about the composition of this week’s parasha. The third word of this portion b’shalach is Pharaoh and the third to last is Amalek. Pharaoh oppressed and enslaved Israel killed its first born and eventually attempted…
Ki Tavo – Lessons From The Storm
The events of the past years have caused me to think a lot about the fragility of our world. The events of the past several weeks have caused me to feel even more distressed about the fragility of life itself.…
The Fourth Word
For millennia, the historical church has read and studied the “last words” of Yeshua’s crucifixion during lent and in preparation for the Easter Holy week. But I think this tradition has a very special and unique value for Messianic Jews…
Don Not Forget! A D’var Torah for Parashat Terumah and Shabbat Zachor
The Torah portion for this week, Terumah literally means a portion. It begins the divine instruction for the building and operation of the Mishkan as well as the appeal for the donations to do so. The unique tabernacle in which…
The Price of Hesed
Every year the gift-giving season comes earlier and earlier, to the point that some desperate merchandisers try to lure us into their stores with X-mas in August promotional ads. This year in reaction to the societal retreat due to Covid…
Tetsaveh – Do Not Forget!
The Torah portion for this week, Tetsaveh, literally “means you shall command.” It contains the remainder of the divine instruction for the building and operation of the Mishkan, the unique tabernacle in which Hashem promises to dwell with Israel during…
Accepting Our Heritage
It has been said that the life of Moses can be seen as three distinct movements, forty years each. First Moses spends the first forty years thinking he is somebody. He has fallen by providence into the royal court of…
Tish B’Av – A View From the Rubble
People don’t get along all of the time. We are often tired or stressed out and it can be hard to keep our cool when someone cuts us off on the highway during the commute, let their kids run amuck…