Let Us Say “Amen!”
Judaism gives us many opportunities to acknowledge the gifts the Al-mighty has given us. This is done primarily by reciting short prayers -- blessings -- throughout the day. We say on Sabbath mornings that "if our mouths were filled with song like the sea... we would...
The Best Consolation
This week is called "Shabbos Nachamu," the Sabbath of Consolation, as "Nachamu" is the first word (and second, as G-d tells His prophets to "console, console My nation") of the Haftorah. It is a prophecy that Jerusalem will one day be rebuilt -- that even the most...
The Thrill of Battle
Would you trust a child with matches? When my daughter was two years old, our apartment building had an electrical fire that ultimately destroyed the two apartments above us. After we evacuated, my wife and I sat with our children on a nearby hill, along with most of...
To Be Like Pinchas
The story of Pinchas is one of the most striking in the Torah, because of its apparent contradiction. Pinchas literally killed two people, one of whom was one of their leaders (Zimri, head of the tribe of Shimon). And how does G-d react? "Behold, I give him my...
Fatherly Feelings
In response to the ungrateful cries and complaints of the Jewish people, G-d sent a plague of poisonous snakes. Moses put the form of a copper snake on a pole and raised it up high, and as people would gaze at the snake they would be healed. The Mishna (Rosh Hashana...
See the True Goal
I am always fascinated by the implied lessons of a statement from Chapters of the Fathers [5:17], that at first glance seems to make a faulty comparison: Which is an argument for the sake of Heaven? This is the argument of Hillel and Shammai. And not for the sake of...
Heart Donations
Israel was in the heat of the War of Independence and Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz had just been blessed with the birth of a baby boy. Shells rained from the sky as the Rabbi and a family member who accompanied him made their way to attend the Bris Milah (circumcision)....
The Greatest Gift
Passover has Matzah, the Seder, and wine. Sukkos has the Four Species and the Sukkah. But what does Shavuos have? It has the Torah! This is the day when God gave the Torah to the Jewish people. And because our holidays are not simply commemorations, but eternal links...
Spiritual Growth Hormones
Last night I got one of "those" shopping carts. Finding it blocking the supermarket door, I figured this cart was somehow meant for me. As I prepared to push it down the aisle, though, my misfortune became clear: the wheels forcefully veered to the right. My shopping...
The Sabbath Festival
In this week's reading, the Torah talks about Shabbos, the Sabbath. In this case, however, it comes with an unusual introduction. "Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them the festivals of G-d, which you shall declare, the Holy Convocation -- these are my...
Am I a Good Friend?
Many of us could write up a list of rules for how we'd like to be treated by our friends. Most don't have a physical list to hand out to people (although it might reduce some painful guesswork if we did), but this is how the list might look: Be sincere -- no acting....
Guarding Your Tongue
In this week's reading, we read about the punishment of tzara'as, which is often mistranslated as "leprosy" because it could appear as a white blemish on skin. it was a purely spiritual punishment, however, which only existed long before the current exile. Our Sages...
