Who started it, and who can stop the plagues and war? This week we begin reading the book of Leviticus, or VaYikra in Hebrew וַיִּקְרָא. In Hebrew, the 5 books of the Torah are named after the first meaningful word in the book. Here is how Leviticus starts: וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה Read more
Supporting the “Cause” – Are there lessons from the Golden Calf episode that we can apply to the Truckers Convoy? WARNING: I’m not comparing the Golden Calf worshipers to the Truckers.. read to the end. This week’s Torah Portion, Ki Tisa ( Exodus 30:11-34:35) begins with God instructing each male Read more
Each of the Patriarchs represents a different character trait we strive to emulate. Avraham represents “Chesed” – “loving-kindness.” This manifests itself in performing selfless acts with a focus on helping others. This week’s Torah portion, VaYera (Genesis 18:1 – 23:20) continues with the saga of Avraham’s life and introduces us Read more
A few years ago I was teaching a class on the weekly Torah Portion about Noah. A student interrupted the lecture and said, “I’m an anthropology major and I’ve studied ancient societies and cultures from all over the world. Virtually all of them have folktales of a deluge or flood Read more
In Part I, we learned that the Torah treats the Land of Israel as a “Morasha” – a Heritage handed down from the previous generation. The Land must be possessed and preserved by the current generation to be handed down to the next generation for eternity. The idea to “give Read more
On January 28, 2020 President Trump announced the “Deal of the Century.” It is his plan to settle the conflict between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. (Read all 181 pages here) Unlike any previous peace plans in the history of the State of Israel, this one was Read more
At the end of this post is the ancient prayer authored by King Hezekiah that we should be shouting to the heavens These are frightening times for the People of Israel. The enemy has slaughtered eleven of God’s children in the the middle of Shabbat Prayers in a Synagogue. It’s Read more
Contrary to popular opinion, the first of the Ten Commandments is NOT “to believe in God.” In the Mishna Torah, Maimonides teaches that the first commandment articulated as “I am the Lord your God…” is be understood as an obligation “to KNOW there is a first Being.” To confuse matters Read more
That’s Ralph Edwards on the left hosting a 1961 live episode of the most popular television show at the time, “This is Your Life.” What do these people have to do with Galilee Green? Holocaust memorial day in Israel is called Yom HaShoah veHaGevurah (Holocaust and Heroism Day) In addition Read more