It is the rare year in which none of the parshiot of the year are doubled. Being that a lunar year is 11 days shorter than a solar one, and that…
Ki Tavo: Thank you
We are meant to observe mitzvot without fanfare, to do so because it is the right thing to do. Mitzvot are cheapened when they are used to display…
Ki Teizei: Put it in Context
When trying to properly understand something context is crucial. Torah is no different. A proper understanding of Torah requires a proper analysis of…
Shoftim: It is Your Responsibility
“Then all the elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi. And they shall make…
Re'eh: Conflicting Emotions
It is difficult to feel two contradictory emotions at the same time. Conflicting, if not contradictory, emotions such as joy and sadness, love and…
Eikev: Thank You!
We all like to take credit for success, but failure we tend to blame on others. Such is human nature. Judaism, in trying to elevate our base…
Va'etchanan: A Smart Torah
What is the role of the Jewish people? To give some insight to this most complex question we must first analyze why G-d created man in the first…
Devarim: Straight Talk
Some of the most stirring and beautiful Biblical words – or any words – are those spoken by the prophet Yishayahu. “Nation shall not lift up sword…
Mattot: To Speak or Not to Speak
“In ten utterances did G-d create the world” (Avot 5:1). It is thus not surprising that many see man’s ability to speak as the…
Pinchas: Three Types of Leaders
Parshat Pinchas presents us with at least three distinct models of leadership. Our parsha gets its name from the zealotry of Pinchas who, without…
Balak: Hope over Dispair
As I noted in my last post I had the honour of speaking at the Beit Yehudah synagogue in Budapest last shabbat. Below is a summary of my words. As…
Chukat: From One Generation to the Next
The transition point from the generation that left Egypt to the one that entered the Land of Israel is never mentioned in the Torah. The Torah does…
Korach: A Beautiful Tallit
Tzizit and Mezuzah are two of the most popular and easy to fulfil mitzvot. Thankfully, even Jews who are very far removed from traditional practice…
Shelach Lecha: You Can Quote Me
Great people are not afraid to put their name behind their convictions. “And Calev quieted the people for Moshe and said, ‘We will rise…
Beha'alotcha: We Need You
“Moshe said to his father-in-law, ‘We are now on our way to the place that G-d promised to us. Come with us and we will let you share the benefit of…
Naso: Confession
The Torah was given to us on at least two occasions. The first revelation, just weeks after the exodus was ineffectual as the people built a golden…
Bamidbar: Laying the Foundation
Sefer Bamidbar can be viewed as a book of missed opportunities. A small group of Jewish slaves—the midrash claims no more than one in five—showed…
Bechukotai: Toiling in Torah
“These are the things that one eats the fruit of in this world and the principal remains in the world to come” (Shabbat 127a). Every morning as we…