In the middle of Moses’ monologue before the Israelites in the Torah portion Ekev, the aging prophet reminds the assembly of a shameful incident. He recalls (Deuteronomy 9:11-12): at the very moment God was turning the stone tablets over to Moses atop Mt. Sinai, the Israelites had begun worshipping a golden calf at the base …
Some parshiot, weekly Torah portions, contain captivating narratives, relatively coherent stories of individuals, families, love, hardship, loss and triumph. Others do not. The Parshat Ki Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19) is among the latter. Eitz Hayyim Torah and Commentary titles this parsha “Miscellaneous Laws.” A fitting caption given its assortment of seemingly disjointed topics which include some …
Some years ago, the peace advocate Thich Nhat Hanh organized a silent peace walk as a gift to the people of Los Angeles. He offered the participants the following suggestion: “Walk as if you kiss the earth with your feet, really tenderly, with all your love. If you know how to touch the present moment, …
Imagine: After communing with God on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights, an inspired Moses, Tablets in his arms, returns to his people and finds them dancing around the Golden Calf. With impulsive and unrestrained anger, Moses smashes the Tablets, and only later, after he has destroyed the Golden Calf and made the Children …
“Then the Eternal said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.’” (Exodus 14:15) At the Sea of Reeds, the Israelites cry out to God, hesitating as they watch the Egyptians advancing. They express their fears and question Moses’ wisdom. Moses reassures the masses and admonishes them for …
Jewish tradition has a rich perspective on the power of speech. Words convey our thoughts and feelings and devotional intentions; words can be the vehicle for blessing and bestowing honor upon one another; words can be the instruments of great hurt and destruction. Contracts can be sealed or broken; relationships reinforced or betrayed; armies goaded …
Lech-Lecha; go forth. This is one of the most potent Torah portions in our tradition. God tells Abraham to leave all that he knows and go forth to a place he does not know. It is, in the most physical sense, a paradigmatic example of a leap of faith. How interesting it is that God, …
Parshat Bamidbar takes us into the fourth book of the Torah, Numbers. The English title refers to a census of the Israelites found in the first chapter of the book. The Hebrew title is Bamidbar, literally, In the Wilderness. A wilderness or a desert can have great beauty in terms of land formations. Through its …