Whether exploring a new twist on a favorite topic, debating a taboo subject, or learning Jewish history on our heritage tours, Torah in Motion constantly seeks to expand the horizon of Jewish thought.
Behaalotecha Jun 11, 2020

It is amazing how selective our memory can be. People often yearn for the good old days: days full of poverty, pogroms and peddling. The ability to…

Naso Jun 5, 2020

Judaism has long insisted that we give people the benefit of the doubt: one is innocent until proven guilty. It is always difficult to…

Bechukotai May 15, 2020

A mark of a good book is a clear and coherent structure. The opening chapters set the tone, themes are appropriately developed, and the conclusion…

Emor May 8, 2020

“You shall count seven complete weeks from the day following the Shabbat from the day you brought the omer as a wave offering seven…

Tzav Apr 3, 2020

"This is the law of the sin offering, chatat: at the place where the elevation offering, olah, is slaughtered shall the sin offering be…

Vayikra Mar 27, 2020

Perhaps Man’s greatest fear is his ultimate irrelevance, that we really don’t make a difference and that in the greater scheme of things…

Pekudei Mar 20, 2020

“And it was on first month of the second year on the first of the month that the Tabernacle was erected” (Shemot 40:17). The first of…

Ki Tisa Mar 13, 2020

"And the people saw ki boshesh Moshe, that Moshe delayed in coming down from the mountain" (32:1). As a young nation coming from…

Terumah Feb 28, 2020

Judaism sees the sparks of the Divine within the most mundane of activities. Revelation at Sinai is followed by a series of laws dealing with such…

Mishpatim Feb 20, 2020

One of the revolutions that Judaism brought to the world was its attitude towards, and its treatment of, slaves. Whereas in the ancient world slaves…

Yitro Feb 13, 2020

Fulfilling G-d's commandments is the essence of Torah. "If not for my covenant, day and night, the laws of heaven and earth, I would…

Beshalach Feb 7, 2020

“And Pharaoh approached...they saw the Egyptians marching at their rear, and the people became very frightened. The Israelites cried out to G-d…

Bo Jan 31, 2020

Judaism places great emphasis on the proper use of time. For serious students there is practically no greater sin than that of bitul Torah—the…

Vaera Jan 24, 2020

Moshe was frustrated. Having been coerced by G-d to redeem the Jewish people, things were not going as planned. As Moshe confronted Pharaoh,…

Shemot Jan 17, 2020

Amongst the unsung heroes of the Jewish people are Shifra and Puah. Despite the genocidal decrees of the Egyptian regime against Jewish newborns,…

Vayechi Jan 10, 2020

People often mistakenly think that truly righteous people are somehow different, perhaps not totally "normal".  Somehow we assume that…

Vayigash Jan 3, 2020

"And he [Yaakov] sent Judah ahead of him l'horot, to make preparations, in Goshen (Breisheet 46:28). With great fear and trepidation, Yaakov, along…

Miketz Dec 27, 2019

That one has a natural love for one's place of birth is a truism long recognized by our Talmudic sages. Emigration is never an easy prospect,…

Vayeshev Dec 20, 2019

Our Sages attach the appellation Tzadik, righteous one, to Yosef, presumably because of his ability to withstand the sexual advances of Potiphar’s…

Vayishlach Dec 13, 2019

How common it is for people to return from a funeral and realize how little they knew about the deceased. All too often, it is only after a person…

Vayetze Dec 6, 2019

“And Yaakov was a pure man, dwelling in the tents” (Breisheet 25:27). Like his father before him, Yaakov had little interest in the wider…

Toldot Nov 29, 2019

Our Sages identified each of our patriarchs and matriarchs with the character traits that they best exemplified. Avraham, the master of hospitality…

Chayei Sarah Nov 22, 2019

"And Sarah lived one hundred years, twenty years and seven years; these are the years of Sarah's life” (Breisheet 23:1). A famous…

Vayeira Nov 15, 2019

One of the fundamental issues of debate amongst observant Jews regards the degree of openness with which one meets the surrounding culture. Should we…