In an almost unbelievable application of the verse, “Love your neighbour as yourself”, our Sages…
VaYakhel: Seven Days a Week
The primacy of Shabbat as the foundation stone of Judaism is self-evident. Shabbat is the …
Ki Tisa: Striving for 100%
We have all been taught that it is the holiday of Shavuot that commemorates the giving of the…
A Perfect Game
It is rare indeed to look to professional athletes for moral guidance. We learned long ago that the…
Mishpatim: It's Not Who You Know
Knowing the right people is, more often than not, the key to success in the modern world. We in…
Beshalach: War Time
Our long sojourn in Egypt was meant to develop those character traits necessary to transform the…
Bo: Alarm Clock
“And Pharaoh awoke, he and all his officials and all the rest of Egypt. There was a great cry…
Vayigash: Below the Surface
“He kissed all his brothers and wept on their shoulders, and afterwards his brothers spoke with him…
Chanukah: Down Memory Lane
We tend to assume that, with the recital of the shir shel yom, the daily psalm—or Aleinu…
An 'A' for Effort
One of the key aspects of the world of business is the crucial importance of the bottom line. And…
Vayishlach: Two is a Crowd
It is for good reason that co-wives are described as tzarot, literally, problems. Competing as they…
Good Luck, Mr. Mayor
In electing Rob Ford as mayor, voters in the city of Toronto have voted for change. Our mayor-elect…
VaYera: Late Arrival
Our Sages assert that the Torah pre-dates the creation of the world, in essence serving as the…
Sukkot: Seeing Double
This week’s d’var Torah is sponsored by Gershon and Leah Vandenbrink with best wishes for a joyous…
Yom Kippur: Just a Minute
The death of the righteous atones, our Sages teach, and it is for this reason that during Mussaf of…
Rosh Hashanah: The Right Focus
“On Rosh Hashanah, it is written; and on Yom Kippur, it is sealed, who shall live and who…
The Morning After
The High Holiday period is one (we hope!) filled with introspection, reflection and a commitment to…
Time to Forgive?
The government of Italy recently completed their third tax amnesty in the past eight years. The…