Exodus 20:20 וְאִם־מִזְבַּ֤ח אֲבָנִים֙ תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לִּ֔י לֹֽא־תִבְנֶ֥ה אֶתְהֶ֖ן גָּזִ֑ית כִּ֧י חַרְבְּךָ֛ הֵנַ֥פְתָּ עָלֶ֖יהָ וַתְּחַֽלְלֶֽהָ׃ And if you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build it of hewn stones; for by wielding your tool upon them you have profaned them. You have to admire the intensity an animal sacrifice: the emotion of the moment the owner lays their hands…
Exodus 15:20 וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כׇֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃ Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a hand-drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums. Out of all the things one might take upon leaving Egypt, a drum would not be high on my list. Things needed for basic…
Exodus 13:8 וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ And you shall explain to your child on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I went out from Egypt.’ Do you remember Egypt? We’ve all been there. That low point, that feeling of narrowness – for Egypt means “a…
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…
May 9, 2025 – Parshat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim: More Than Words Click here to read the full post. May 2, 2025 – Parshat Tazria-Metzorah: The Power of a Phone Call Click here to read the full post. April 25, 2025 – Parshat Shemini: Out of Sight Click here to read the full post. April 18, 2025 – Passover Day Seven:…
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…