Don’t Follow the Herd
Last week we learned that Avraham and Lot had separated. Lot moved to the fertile land surrounding the city of S'dom, yet he retained some of the traits of his holy and generous uncle. So when two disguised angels came to the gates of the city, he rose to greet them...
Ends and Means
In the Torah, human life is of infinite value. Every person around us is of infinite value, and deserving of respect. And that even includes the one in the mirror.
We’re all in This (World) Together
With an insight that my friend Rabbi Leonard Oberstein called prescient, the very first comment of Rashi on the Torah quotes a Medrash: Rebbe Yitzchok says: He did not need to begin the Torah [here,] but from 'this month will be for you the first of months' [Exodus...
Time for a Reboot
When a computer device of some kind isn’t operating correctly, the first question any technician will ask is, “have you tried rebooting?†The option may be called “Restart,†but it means the same thing: clean out apps that are running, wipe the memory...
Meeting the King
In an ideal world, our leaders would be qualified, competent, and benevolent. If we could find such a person, we certainly would want him or her to rule for life, providing for our common needs, protecting us from danger, and helping us to flourish. Now imagine living...
Slave or Servant?
Contrary to what you might think, the Torah does not permit slavery. The “Avadim” are not property, without rights or human dignity, because the Torah does not allow one person to treat another as no better than an animal.
The Judge in His Locker
In this week's reading, we find two passages that do not seem to belong together. The Torah begins this week with a commandment to set up a justice system, with both courts and judges to make rulings, and police to enforce them. It speaks of the importance of true and...
True Vision
The reading this week begins, "See I have placed before you today the blessing and the curse" [Deut. 11:26]. This is said in the singular form, rather than plural, and the Ba'al HaTurim explains that this statement, "see," was made to each and every individual. Each...
The Promise
Parshas VaEschanan, on the Jewish calendar, is read following the 9th of Av, the Day of Mourning over the destruction. It begins the "seven Sabbaths of consolation," during which the Haftorah readings, from the prophets, promise that a bright future lies ahead. We...
Anti-Semitism Remembrance Day
If we think about it, it should amaze us that there are people who insist we must always remember the Holocaust -- even for generations to come, long after the last survivors are lost to us -- who are nowhere to be found on the Ninth of Av, when we remember the long...
True Peace
In this week's reading, G-d gives Pinchas His "Covenant of Peace." He also makes Pinchas, Aharon's grandson, part of the Kehunah, the priesthood. [As he was born prior to the anointing of Aharon and his sons, Pinchas did not become a Kohein until this point. Rash"i,...
“You Stole Our Land!”
This week's Haftorah discusses Ammon coming to wage war with Israel. There was a man named Yiftach, who was the son of a concubine, rejected by his half-brothers. He had moved away, but was a natural leader -- many gathered around him, though they were not...
