Category Archives: Uncategorized

Shabbat Ki Tavo: Change Is The Only Certainty

וּנְתַנֶּה תֹּקֶף קְדֻשַּׁת הַיּוֹם כִּי הוּא נוֹרָא וְאָיֹם וּבוֹ תִּנָּשֵׂא מַלְכוּתֶךָ וְיִכּוֹן בְּחֶסֶד כִּסְאֶךָ וְתֵשֵׁב עָלָיו בְּאֱמֶת   We recognize the power of the holiness of this day; it is terrifying and awesome, and on it we see that we are overwhelmed, we are caught by truth, and we are desperately in need of compassion.Continue reading “Shabbat Ki Tavo: Change Is The Only Certainty”

Shabbat Ki Tetze: Tit For Tat?

“an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” – Variously attributed to both the Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, but also already expressed in the legislation of the ancient rabbis of the Talmud In this preparatory period which is the month of Elul, we are encouraged by our tradition to believeContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tetze: Tit For Tat?”

Shabbat Shoftim: Don’t Be Like Them, Be Like You

כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־ה’ אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם׃  When you enter the land that your God ‘ה is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. (Devarim 18.9) מֶען טָאר זִיךְ נִישְׁט מְיַאֵשׁ זַיין – Men tor zich nisht m’ya’esh zayn  “It is forbiddenContinue reading “Shabbat Shoftim: Don’t Be Like Them, Be Like You”

Shabbat Re’eh: Torah Against Occupation

Even the devil can quote Scripture This is the Third Shabbat of Consolation; as we move toward the High Holy Days of 5785, may we find the inner strength to believe in the possibility of positive change in ourselves, and in our world. אֵ֣ת כׇּל־הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָנֹכִי֙ מְצַוֶּ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֹת֥וֹ תִשְׁמְר֖וּ לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת לֹא־תֹסֵ֣ף עָלָ֔יו וְלֹ֥אContinue reading “Shabbat Re’eh: Torah Against Occupation”

Shabbat Ekev: What If You’re Mistaken?

Getting all judge-y אַל־תֹּאמַ֣ר בִּלְבָבְךָ֗ בַּהֲדֹ֣ף יְהֹוָה֩ אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ אֹתָ֥ם ׀ מִלְּפָנֶ֘יךָ֮ לֵאמֹר֒ בְּצִדְקָתִי֙ הֱבִיאַ֣נִי ה’ לָרֶ֖שֶׁת אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את And when your God ‘ה has thrust them from your path, say not to yourselves, “יהוה has enabled us to possess this land because of our virtues”. (Devarim 9.4) This week is the second of Seven Weeks of Consolation,Continue reading “Shabbat Ekev: What If You’re Mistaken?”

Shabbat Nahamu: You Can’t Always Get What You Want

עֲלֵ֣ה ׀ רֹ֣אשׁ הַפִּסְגָּ֗ה וְשָׂ֥א עֵינֶ֛יךָ יָ֧מָּה וְצָפֹ֛נָה וְתֵימָ֥נָה וּמִזְרָ֖חָה וּרְאֵ֣ה בְעֵינֶ֑יךָ כִּי־לֹ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֥ן הַזֶּֽה׃  Go up to the summit of Pisgah and gaze about, to the west, the north, the south, and the east. Look at it well, for you shall not go across yonder Jordan. (Dev. 3.27) Moshe Rabbenu is held up inContinue reading “Shabbat Nahamu: You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

Shabbat Hazon: Facing It

With this week’s parashah we begin the last of the five books of the Torah, what our tradition also refers to as Torat Moshe, the Torah of Moshe. The entire book is a retrospective, a re-telling (the meaning of the word “deuteronomy”) of the epic myth of the Jewish people.  We can tell it like a joke, that HaShemContinue reading “Shabbat Hazon: Facing It”

Shabbat Pinhas: The Partial Nature of Knowing

“Oops. Good point; didn’t think of that.” – Moshe “Me either. The women are right. Give them what they want.” – HaShem Where does the idea that there is any such thing as an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing deity come from? Certainly not our Torah; this week’s parashah is one of many that show this. TheContinue reading “Shabbat Pinhas: The Partial Nature of Knowing”

Shabbat Balak: Some of My Best Friends are Anti-Zionists

Heading into the Three Weeks in 5784 וּמִפְּנֵי חֲטָאֵינוּ גָּלִינוּ מֵאַרְצֵנוּ – because of our sins we were exiled from our homeland. (Rambam, order of prayer, 3.6) מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃  – How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel! (from this week’s parashah) Rashi: How goodly are they even whenContinue reading “Shabbat Balak: Some of My Best Friends are Anti-Zionists”

Shabbat Shelakh L’kha: Israel Is Neither Here Nor There

This week’s parashah is a turning point for our people, and not a good one. Astonishingly enough, the journey from the foot of Mt Sinai to the edge of what the Torah calls the Land of the Promise is relatively very short: our ancestors began to journey in last week’s parashah and already they haveContinue reading “Shabbat Shelakh L’kha: Israel Is Neither Here Nor There”