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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Behar: G-d and Man
We tend to categorize mitzvot as either mitzvot between man and G-d or mitzvot between man and man. Tzedakah is a mitzva between man and man whereas…
Emor: A Holiday Treat
“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you…
Kedoshim: Look at the Context
While facts do not lie, they often do not tell the whole truth. Facts are facts but facts still must be evaluated as to their moral propriety. And…
Metzora: Time for a Haircut
Judaism teaches that everything has the potential for holiness; after all everything in this world was created by G-d. But it is up to man to…
Tazria: A Sin Offering?
There is no greater joy than having a child. From a religious perspective, bringing new life into this world is the most tangible way of…
Shemini: Seeking the Middle
“Moshe then inquired, darosh darash, about the goat of the sin offering, and it had been burned” (Vayikra 10:16). Judaism has always…
Tzav: The Best Reason
One of the major debates in Jewish thought relates to the appropriateness of ascribing reasons for the mitzvoth of the Torah. One approach asserts…