Tag Archives: Shelakh

Shabbat Shelakh: Telling Time in Jewish

לַכֹּ֖ל זְמָ֑ן וְעֵ֥ת לְכׇל־חֵ֖פֶץ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃  A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven (Kohelet 3.1) Before clocks and calendars, our people knew where we were in time by the sun, and by the Shabbat. On our ritual documents until today, traditionally we identify a day by its position inContinue reading “Shabbat Shelakh: Telling Time in Jewish”

Shabbat Lekh L’kha: Wandering Is Not Punishment

This week it happens – the shattering of hope in a way that is not reparable. What our ancestors thought would be a short journey from the foot of Mt Sinai to the land they were promised became endless. Because, the story goes, at the moment when courage was required, they could not trust. And so, weContinue reading “Shabbat Lekh L’kha: Wandering Is Not Punishment”

Shabbat Shelakh: The Point of No Return

Every once in a while, one reaches a point of no return. This week, we read in parashat Shelakh that it happened to the People of Israel. Some of the discontent and factionalizing was tolerable – they complained for meat instead of manna and got an influx of quail (spoiler alert: too much quail isContinue reading “Shabbat Shelakh: The Point of No Return”

Shabbat Shelakh: Trust

Perhaps the undermining of the idea of trust began for many of us with the cultural saturation in the U.S. of the slogan “trust, but verify.” Or perhaps it is an internal result of the persecutions Jews have endured for many centuries. No matter the cause, the lack of ability to trust – to suspendContinue reading “Shabbat Shelakh: Trust”

parashat hashavua: Shelakh-L’kha: They Might Be Giants

This week’s parashah teaches about the challenge of going forth into uncharted territory. This, of course, is what we face all the time; but many of us fear it, avoid it, and do a bad job of coping with it despite the experience we all have of change in our lives.  High school seniors lookContinue reading “parashat hashavua: Shelakh-L’kha: They Might Be Giants”