by RabbiOlivier | Feb 8, 2019 | Torah Reflections
T’rumah Exodus 25:1 – 27:19 The Kabbalah of Our Beings Judaism sees each of us, every being, as a channel of the most sacred. As such we are called to make ourselves selfless compassionate servants of the greater good and allow Wisdom to...
by RabbiOlivier | Feb 1, 2019 | Torah Reflections
Mishpatim Exodus 21:1 – 24:18 The Angel Within Can you imagine what it must have been like the day after? Just yesterday we were at the foot of Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. It was big. It was thunderous. Our bodies were shaking, our senses were...
by RabbiOlivier | Jan 18, 2019 | Torah Reflections
B’Shalach Genesis 13:17 – 17:16 Why Did They Have to Drown? The Song at The Sea with its archaic Hebrew style—when compared to the rest of Torah—is probably the most ancient text in the entire Jewish canon. It describes Moses and the Israelites, having...
by RabbiOlivier | Dec 21, 2018 | Torah Reflections
Vayechi Genesis 47:28 – 50:26 Conditioned Happiness Last week as I studied the Torah portion, after reading numerous rabbinic commentaries, an image emerged of Jacob’s soul-to soul connection to his son, Benjamin. Upon reading this week’s portion and many more...
by RabbiOlivier | Dec 7, 2018 | Torah Reflections
Mikeitz Genesis 41:1 – 44:17 Blessing Our Children We find ourselves, this week, at a junction in Joseph’s life. After what had seemed like an ongoing downward spiral which began with his brothers throwing him into a pit, and that came to a head with his...
by RabbiOlivier | Mar 23, 2018 | Torah Reflections
Tzav Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36 The Light of Our Heart In my approach to Torah, I see the text as myth, not reality. I presuppose that, as such, the stories it conveys speak of universal archetypes relating to the human spiritual journey, and seek to unpack the...