“Let the maiden to whom I say, ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies, ‘Drink,…
Vayeira: Praying for Sedom
We first hear of Sedom as the Torah records the genealogies of the children of Noach. “And the…
Lech Lecha: Time to Sin
One of the beautiful aspects of the Torah is that it presents its “heroes” not only through their…
Noach: Great Parenting
Noach was a righteous, pure person who found favour in the eyes of G-d and saved the world from…
Breisheet: Clothes Make the Woman (and Man)
“The two of them were arumim, naked, the man and his wife, yet they felt no shame (Breisheet 2:25…
Shmini Atzeret & Simchat Torah: Two Holidays or One?
Simchat Torah is a medieval invention, a holiday designed by and for the Jews of chutz la’aretz,…
Sukkot: The Right Season
If asked which holiday Rosh Hashanah is most connected to, I think most of us would, for very good…
Yom Kippur: What Comes Next?
Yom Kippur is a means to an end. We spend the day in shul, confess our sins, plead for forgiveness…
Rosh Hashanah: Once in a Yovel
We know very little about Rosh Hashanah – at least from a Biblical perspective. There is no…
Ki Tavo: Language Barriers
Those of us living in Canada are especially sensitive to the importance of language to the fabric…
Shoftim: Chopping Trees
War brings out the worst in people. Rape, unjustified killings, pillage, random acts of destruction…
Re'eh: G-d's Children
Parshat Re’eh contains a series of laws that on the surface have little to do with each other. As…
Va'etchanan: For The People
Ask anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible why Moshe could not enter the Land of Israel…
Eikev: Loving G-d
Eight times – interestingly, all in sefer Devarim – the Torah tells us we are to love G-d, the…
Reflections on Tisha B'Av
Tisha b’Av is the day of national Jewish mourning. It was on this day that “our House was destroyed…
Devarim: Just Courts
“"The signature of G-d is truth" (Shabbat 55a). Our Torah, which serves as a description of G-d, is…
Impressions from Italy: Italian Rabbis
Italian Jewry is unique in many ways. Predating Ashkenazim and Sephardim, to this day they maintain…
Impressions from Italy: Visiting Venice
It is hard to imagine a more unique travel destination than Venice. Built on a series of tiny…