More than a Bonfire
In Judaism, our holidays are never mere celebrations or commemorations — they are opportunities for spiritual growth. In the case of Lag B'Omer, there are two key lessons for all of us, found in the two stories behind this rabbinic holiday. Lag B'Omer gets its name...
Impossible to Know… But Known
In this week’s reading, the Torah clearly lays out for us the animals, fish and poultry permitted under Jewish Law. In the course of doing so, the Torah makes a statement that — were it made by a human being — would have been beyond foolhardy.
The Laban Brand of Hate
What is the connection of "Arami Oved Avi" — "An Aramean destroyed my father" — to the Haggadah? The Haggadah says that "Pharaoh decreed only against the males, but Laban tried to uproot everything." Again, why connect the two? The goal of the Haggadah is to tell...
No Angels on Earth
In this week's reading, we begin the third of the 5 Books of Moses, Vayikra, or Leviticus. It was undoubtedly dubbed "Leviticus" because much of it concerns the Temple services, done by the Kohanim, the Priests, descendents of Aharon HaKohen, of the tribe of Levi....
Carrying Our Weight
In this week's reading, we learn about the episode of the Golden Calf. Moshe took a day too long to come back down off the mountain, and many assumed that he must have died, that he was never returning to earth. And so they made a new leader for themselves, and some...
Celebrating the Miracle of Jewish Survival
Jewish survival is perhaps the greatest miracle of all Jewish history. It defies clear historical patterns. Whenever people move to different countries, they gradually integrate, following the beliefs and ideals of the local population. Yet the Jews were different, stubbornly so.
