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…
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Noach – Lessons From Dry Ground
Parasha Noach seems sobering increasingly over the past several decades and especially this year. September and October seem to bring new catastrophic threats and concerns to the southeast portion of the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. This year as Hurricane…
Shabbat Shuvah – Scandalous!
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is also one of the least read! Even those who claim love and fidelity for the Bible, who often quote chapter and verse, rarely have read the Scriptures in entirety!…
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…
Tzav – Ear, Thumbs and Toes
The book of Vayikra is often referred to as the Torat Kohanim, The Teachings of the Priests. It contains the exact prescriptions for the kohanim to minister in the Mishkan and later in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Its topics…
Tetzaveh – Holy Advocates
Early in this week’s parasha we are introduced to the new and exotic station given to Aaron and his sons—the role and office of the Kohanim (priests). They would become the highest religious authorities in the Torah, providing a stable…
Nasso – Bless is More
Listen to an audio version… This week’s parasha contains one of only two prescribed blessings in all of Torah, the Birkat Kohanim. This blessing is so familiar to us, it is part of the morning shacharit, and is traditionally chanted…
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…
Vayelech – Re-Righting Our Stories
“I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer be active.” (Devarim 31:1) With that surprising realization, Moses begins his final address to the children of Israel. When Moses completes this address, he will have accomplished…