The Rabbis ask in the Pesikta d’Rav Kahana: Why was the Torah given in the desert? To teach us that if a person does not surrender himself to it like the desert, he cannot merit the words of Torah. And to teach us that just as the desert is endless, so is the Torah without end. This week we are
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Teach me my God to bless, to pray On the mystery of the withered leaf, on the splendor of ripe fruit, On the freedom to see, to feel, to breathe, To know, to wish, to fail. Teach my lips blessing and song of praise, Renewing your time each morning, each night, Lest my day today be as yesterday Lest my
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Choosing a topic for a D’var Torah wasn’t an easy task this week. This week we read Parashat Tzav, which this year, because it’s a leap year, falls in the month of Adar, so tomorrow in addition to Parashat Tzav we will read Parashat Parah. This week we all have in mind the tragedy and the horror that filled
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ELE PEKUDEI HAMISHKAN – “These are the numbers of the Mishkan”, they are the words that begin our Torah portion. We are concluding the fifth of 5 Torah portions that are focused on the construction of the Tabernacle. We continue reading on Exodus 38:21 : “These are the numbers of the Mishkan that are counted by Moses’ command.
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Ki Tisah/ Breaking the Dishes : A case study in organizational management So Moshe went up the mountain… and for the Israelites he basically left and it wasn’t so clear what he was doing. We know that Moshe was called by God to make the stone tablets. But in their experience they were abandoned. And they felt desperate. Who was
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Would you like to say something before we switch off the microphone? This is an important question to keep in mind in order to understand what the Torah has been talking about over the last parashot (portions) and specifically this week in Parashat Ki Tetze! And what is Torah’s answer? The largest list of commandments in the whole
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In the context of last week’s voices coming from Israel: Minister of religious affairs David Azoulay said: Reform aren’t Jews! and MK Moshe Gafni added: Reforms are Jews but they are stabbing Torah on its back! This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Pinckhas, has a very special meaning. The lack of “filters” when we read Torah or interpret god’s will
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In Parashat Balak we are granted with the blessing “Ma Tovu”, which later will be adopted as the first sentence that we say every time we walk into a Jewish sanctuary. 2Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of God rested upon him. 3He took up his parable and said, “The word of
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“This Torah portion begins with “Shelach lecha”. According to Rashi, God says – if you wish, send the envoys over to check. We often think that we need to see in order to believe. However this portion demonstrates that the truth is generally the opposite: we need to believe in order to see”. People know a lot about statistics, but statistics
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Po Ve Sham 