Exodus 7:22 וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֛ן חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י מִצְרַ֖יִם בְּלָטֵיהֶ֑ם וַיֶּחֱזַ֤ק לֵב־פַּרְעֹה֙ וְלֹא־שָׁמַ֣ע אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה׃ But when the Egyptian magician-priests did the same with their spells, Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he did not heed them—as the Lord had spoken. Many of us are struggling with the way Israel is perceived amongst the international community. While misinformation abounds, and a story about this…
From the song Ma’oz Tzur אָז אֶגְמֹר בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ Then I shall complete with a song of hymn, the dedication of the Altar. The essence of Hanukkah is in the name of the holiday. Translating in English to “dedication,” Hanukkah centers around the commemoration of a new altar in the Temple, dedicated on the 25th of Kislev in…
December 8, 2023 Genesis 37:15 וַיִּמְצָאֵ֣הוּ אִ֔ישׁ וְהִנֵּ֥ה תֹעֶ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וַיִּשְׁאָלֵ֧הוּ הָאִ֛ישׁ לֵאמֹ֖ר מַה־תְּבַקֵּֽשׁ׃ A man came upon him wandering in the fields, and asked him, “What are you looking for?” If you were to list the most important biblical figures, you would likely miss the one on whom all Jewish history depends. In our Torah portion, Joseph was sent by his…
Genesis 32:8 ַיִּירָ֧א יַעֲקֹ֛ב מְאֹ֖ד וַיֵּ֣צֶר ל֑וֹ וַיַּ֜חַץ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ וְאֶת־הַצֹּ֧אן וְאֶת־הַבָּקָ֛ר וְהַגְּמַלִּ֖ים לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃ Jacob was greatly frightened; in his anxiety, he divided the people with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps. Every patriarch and matriarch in the book of Genesis has a story where they act in a way that is more human than…
Genesis 27:25 וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הַגִּ֤שָׁה לִּי֙ וְאֹֽכְלָה֙ מִצֵּ֣יד בְּנִ֔י לְמַ֥עַן תְּבָֽרֶכְךָ֖ נַפְשִׁ֑י וַיַּגֶּשׁ־לוֹ֙ וַיֹּאכַ֔ל וַיָּ֧בֵא ל֦וֹ יַ֖יִן וַיֵּֽשְׁתְּ׃ He said, “Serve me and let me eat of my son’s game that I may give you my innermost blessing.” So he served him and he ate, and he brought him wine and he drank. There’s a word I love that has become…
Shmini: The Heart the Torah – April 5, 2024 Click here to read the full post. March 29, 2024 – Tzav / Shabbat Parah: I Don’t Know Click here to read the full post. March 22, 2024 – Purim: Costumes Click here to read the full post. March 15, 2024 – Parshat Pekudei: What Are You Building? Click here to…
Genesis 24:67 וַיְבִאֶ֣הָ יִצְחָ֗ק הָאֹ֙הֱלָה֙ שָׂרָ֣ה אִמּ֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֧ח אֶת־רִבְקָ֛ה וַתְּהִי־ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וַיֶּאֱהָבֶ֑הָ וַיִּנָּחֵ֥ם יִצְחָ֖ק אַחֲרֵ֥י אִמּֽוֹ׃ Isaac then brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her, and thus found comfort after his mother’s death. Few in the Torah go through the kind of emotional ordeal that Isaac did. Between…
November 3, 2023 Genesis 18:32 וַ֠יֹּ֠אמֶר אַל־נָ֞א יִ֤חַר לַֽאדֹנָי֙ וַאֲדַבְּרָ֣ה אַךְ־הַפַּ֔עַם אוּלַ֛י יִמָּצְא֥וּן שָׁ֖ם עֲשָׂרָ֑ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית בַּעֲב֖וּר הָעֲשָׂרָֽה׃ And he said, “Let not my lord be angry if I speak but this last time: What if ten should be found there?” “I will not destroy, for the sake of the ten.” The fact is fairly well known that…
Genesis 12:1 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ The Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” If I can speak honestly: in this moment I am having difficulty thinking of anything but the war in Israel. On top of the…
October 13, 2023 Genesis 1:16 וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־שְׁנֵ֥י הַמְּאֹרֹ֖ת הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים אֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃ God made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. Across cultures, Light has always been the metaphor for goodness and joy. We pray that those…