Torah Reflections

Not on Bread Alone: Eikev Eikev: Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 A few verses into the weekly Parashah bring us to one of the most famous saying in Torah, tucked in the middle of one extraordinary verse: God let you live in want and hunger, and then He fed you manna, which...

Because Love is Our Natural State: Va-etchanan Va-etchanan: Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11   This week we find in our parashah the words that are at the center of our daily worship: the Sh’ma, and the first verses of the V’ahavta. While the Sh’ma is calling us to...

Divine Creation is an Act of Boundless Love: Balak Balak: Numbers 22:2 - 25:9 One of the most popular writings of the Hebrew Bible is Pirkei Avot. Mistakenly translated as “Ethics of the Fathers,” it truly means: “First Principles.” Chapter 2 begins: “The world stands...

Why God Sentenced Moses & Aaron to Death: Chukkat Chukkat: Numbers 19:1-22:1   YHVH spoke to Moses, saying: “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to the rock before their eyes, that it give water…” Moses and Aaron...

When Korach Takes Over: Korach Korach: Numbers 16:1-18:32   We left the Israelites at the edge of the Promised Land last week. Twelve tribal leaders, who had gone to scope out the Land, had come back. Ten against two, they advised against entering into the Land,...

They Warned Moses & They Were Right: Sh'lach L'cha Sh'lach L'cha: Numbers 13:1-15:41   This week’s Torah portion begins with the famous episode of the spies. Much has been said and written about this episode as it is a turning point in the unfolding drama of...

God, The Eye of All Things: Behaalot'cha Behaalot'cha: Numbers 8:1-12:16   Like many times before, the Hebrews are, once again, rebelling against Moses and complaining about their current condition. This time, the wilderness’ food monotony is what causes their...

The True Purpose of Blessing: Nasso Nasso: Numbers 4:21-7:89 In our Torah reading this week we happen upon one of the central blessings of our tradition; the Priestly Blessing. And the Eternal spoke to Moses, saying; Speak to Aaron and to his sons saying; Thus you...

We Lose Our Self to Find Our Self B'midbar: Number 1:1-4:20 The midrash relating to the opening of this week's Torah portion, "B'midbar," meaning: "In the wilderness;" asks its reader: "Why was the Torah given in the wilderness?" Why not, our rabbis wondered, give the...

The Jewish Path of Mindfulness B'chukotai: Leviticus 26:3 – 27:34 If your path is imbued with My instructions and your actions remain connected to and flow from your inner Divine source (Mitzvot,) then I will gift your rains in their time and the land will yield its...

Knowing God vs Playing God Emor: Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23 The beginning verses in this week’s Torah portion are rather challenging to our current understanding of spirituality. They define an impossibly strict code of holiness for the priestly caste. In reading these...

The Pursuit of Holiness Kedoshim: Leviticus 19:1 - 20:27 The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the entire Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy. [Lev. 19:1-2] Most rabbinic and scholarly commentaries...