Torah Reflections
Each week, Rabbi Olivier prepares a written reflection on the weekly Torah portion. These provide yet another way to discover the texts sacred to Judaism and to prepare for Shabbat each week.
The Transformative Power of Mitzvot
T'tzaveh Exodus 27:20 - 30:10 The title of this Torah portion, T’tzaveh, is usually translated as “Instruct!” or “Command!” The word t’tzaveh has the same root as mitzvah, which also is usually translated as “commandment.” But a mitzvah is more than a commandment. It...
How to Find God
Nitzavim-Vayeilech Deuteronomy 29:1 - 31:30 One of the fascinating things about Semitic languages is the way words grow from a root (usually three letters) so that additional letters qualify, illustrate, and expand the meaning of the basic root. Take for example the...
The Power of Spiritual Transmission
D'varim Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22 “Eleh ha-D’arim—These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel….” (Deut.1:1) With these words we begin the fifth and final book of the Torah, in which Moses both retells and explains the foundational myth of the Hebrew people....
Happiness Beyond Thought
Chukat - Balak Numbers 19:1 - 25:9 As Parashat Balak opens, the Israelites are encamped at the border of Moab. Fearing that the “horde” will overcome his kingdom, as they have many others, King Balak looks for a trump card to shift the odds in his favor. Enter Balaam,...
At The Edge of The Wilderness
B'Shalach Exodus 13:17 - 17:16 When we approach biblical stories as myth, we no longer read the text literally but see it, instead, as the expression of a universal spiritual unfolding. Thus, the opening phrase of this parashah, “Now when Pharaoh let the people go…”...
Living Extra-Ordinary Lives
Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8 Sometimes it seems that the fast-approaching High Holy Days come way too early. The waning days of summer are still warm and inviting, kids are just starting back to school, gardens still need tending and harvesting—who has time to...
The Mystical Layers of Forty-Eight
Matot-Mas'ei Numbers 30:2 - 36:13 Parashat Masei is the closing section of the Book of Numbers, which many scholars believe was originally the last Book of Moses, i.e., the last book of the Torah. With the death of Moses, our history continued in the Book of...
When Korach Takes Over
Korach Numbers 16:1 - 18:32 At the end of last week’s parashah, Sh’lach L’cha, the Israelites were at the edge of the Promised Land. Twelve tribal leaders went to scope out the land and when they returned they advised, ten against two, that the tribes should remain in...
The Chutzpah of the Separate Self
HaAzinu Deuteronomy 32:1 - 52 Chutzpah. Whether Jewish or not, almost everyone knows this Hebrew/Yiddish word. The dictionary defines it as “unmitigated effrontery or impudence, gall, nerve, courage bordering on arrogance.” But there is a much deeper understanding of...
The Healing Power of Self-Awareness
Shof'tim Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9 Parashat Shof’tim is read around the beginning of the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year. Less than 29 days separate us from Rosh HaShanah, New Year’s Day, and Elul is a time of taking personal inventory in preparation...
We Are All Zelophehad Daughters
Pinchas Numbers 25:10 - 30:1 Parashat Pinchas describes yet another census of the Israelites, and this time there’s a fascinating twist. Five spunky women have the courage to challenge the status quo by insisting that their family name be included in the census. The...
The Key to The Promised Land
Sh'lach L'cha Numbers 13:1 - 15:41 For forty days and forty nights the scouts sent by Moses gathered information and sampled the local fruits in the Promised Land. Upon their return, Caleb and Joshua encouraged the people to enter and conquer the land, but the other...