Torah Reflections

Pekudei Exodus 38:21 - 40:38 In the final verses of Exodus, the Israelites build all the many pieces of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, which Moses will assemble at a later time. The S’fat Emet, i.e. the Alter Rebbe of Ger, comments that many of these verses echo, in...

Vayigash Genesis 44:18 - 47:27 In the middle of this parashah comes the critical moment when Jacob/Israel and his clan descend into Egypt, setting the stage for what will unfold next: enslavement, suffering, redemption, and revelation. Following their encounter with...

Vayeira Genesis 18:1-22:24 In his life storyline, Abraham did not always rise to the occasion of his ethical challenges. Yet this aspect of his story is worthy of praise: his standing up to God in the episode of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham remained standing before the...

Ki Teitzei Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19 Each year, when I meet Ki Teitzei I realize again why so many people are moved to abandon any kind of religious pursuit. Though we find many uplifting verses about ethical living in society 2,500 years ago, some of what we read in...

Bo Exodus 10:1 - 13:16 Parashat Bo opens with the last four plagues to befall Egypt as part of the Divine liberation plan. Plague after plague, Pharaoh first reluctantly acquiesces to Moses’ latest plea to let his people go and then changes his mind when God “hardens...

Mikeitz Genesis 41:1-44:17 One of my favorite verses in the whole of Torah is in this week’s parashah. Joseph has just been brought up from jail to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, which the court diviners could not explain. “Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘… I have heard this...

B'reishit Genesis 1:1-6:8 Abel was a Shepherd and Cain tilled the soil. And it was, after the passing of days, that Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the Eternal; and as for Abel, he too brought [an offering] from among the choice firstlings...

R'eih Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17   How do I invite God into my life? How do I fill my life with the Divine Presence moment to moment? These are the questions many of us on the spiritual path ask ourselves. And more often than not, the answer comes back simple and...

VaEira Exodus 6:2 - 9:35 Parashat VaEira opens with a compelling affirmation: “God (Elohim) spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I Am the Eternal (YHVH)’” (Ex. 6:2). I often wonder exactly how people understand this powerful statement. That opening phrase, “God spoke to...

Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1-25:18 The unfolding of the biblical narrative brings us to the close of one chapter—that of Abraham and Sarah’s journey—and the opening of a new one—that of their son Isaac and soon-to-be wife: Rebekah. After Sarah dies, Abraham sends his...

Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8 This week’s Torah portion begins: “When you enter the land that the Eternal your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, you shall take some of every fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that...

  Eikev Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25 In the middle of this Torah portion, Moses once again admonishes our people for our intractable stubbornness:  “Know, then, that it is not for any virtue of yours that the Eternal your God is giving you this good land to possess;...