There is a section in our parashah that is often overlooked—perhaps because the opening verses are so powerful that they eclipse everything else. After all, they give the portion its very name: Lech Lecha.  It’s hard to compete for attention with something as extraordinary as God’s call to a man who seems quite ordinary, and that man’s selfless and wholehearted response—a response that would make him the founding father of a people, just as promised.   But this time, the text

Shabbat Parshat Noach. Noach—the one of the Flood, the one of the Ark. The survivor whose first act upon leaving the ark is to plant a vineyard, make wine, and become drunk… perhaps to drown his sorrow in the face of total destruction. Noach—the one of anguish, perplexity, and perhaps still, hope.  Just two years ago, the world began to sink once again into a mabul, a flood of violence and disorientation. At the time, we thought humanity had hit rock bottom, that the storm co

Botanists often tell us that the sequoias — those colossal trees that grow in California — are the longest-living species on earth. Some have reached two thousand years of age. It is humbling, almost overwhelming, to think that they were planted in the days of Rabbi Akiva and still breathe under the same sky.  Yet, according to a fascinating and little-known midrash, the oldest living creature in the world is not a tree, but a bird called the Jol — or Maljás. Tradition tells

As we approach the end of Sukkot, a question arises that many ask: What do we celebrate on Shemini Atzeret? At first glance, it seems to...

This week’s portion, Haazinu, is Moses’ farewell song. At the threshold of his death, aware that he will not enter the Promised Land, he...

Parashat Vayelech places us before Moses on the threshold of his farewell: a leader who knows he will not cross over, yet hands the...

In Parashat Nitzavim, Moses addresses the gathered people to remind them that God’s covenant includes them and all generations to come:...

Parashat Ki Tavó speaks to us about gratitude, memory, and collective responsibility.  It reminds us that abundance is not a gift for...

This week’s parashah opens with the words: “Ki tetze la-milchamah al oyevecha – When you go out to war against your enemies” (Deuteronomy...

שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכׇל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם...

This week we turn to Parashat Re’eh, the fourth portion of the book of Devarim, still echoing with Moses’ parting words. At its core, a...

This week’s parashah reminds us of one of the fundamental pillars of our faith: the Shema Israel: Hear, O Israel Adonai is our God,...

This week’s parashah reminds us of one of the fundamental pillars of our faith: the Shema Israel: Hear, O Israel Adonai is our God,...

These are the words that Moses spoke…”  With this words begins the final book of the Torah—a book that is not just a collection of...

We are approaching the conclusion of the book of Bemidbar, the book aptly named “In the Desert.” It is not merely an account of a...

The Hebrew calendar, during these days, is steeped in mourning. We have entered the period known as Bein HaMetzarim—the "Three Weeks" of...

Who is Korach? Every year, I ask myself this question as we reach this parashah. Who is Korach today? In what places, in what speeches,...

Who is Korach? Every year, I ask myself this question as we reach this parashah. Who is Korach today? In what places, in what speeches,...

This week we read how ten spies—“explorers,” some translate—returned from the Promised Land in fear, while two—Joshua and Caleb—saw...

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Make two silver trumpets, hammered out of beaten metal. They shall serve you to summon the congregation...