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.
Torah Reflections Oct. 28 – Nov. 3, 2012
Vayera Genesis 18:1 - 22:24 Beyond Our Need For Justice In his life storyline, Abraham has not always risen to the occasion of his ethical challenges. Yet this aspect of his story his worthy of praise: his standing up to God in the episode of Sodom and Gomorrah....
Torah Reflections Oct. 21 – 27, 2012
Lech Lecha Genesis 12:1 - 17:27 Abraham: A Promise For The Future This week's Torah portion marks the beginning of the Patriarchal story in the Book of Genesis. Abraham receives God's call to leave his home and travel to an unknown land with the assurance of God's...
Torah Reflections – Oct. 14 – 20, 2012
Noah Genisis 6:0 - 11:32 Noah: A Righteous Man in His Generation? There is a thought-provoking Midrash about Noah from this week's Torah portion that details a debate between two rabbis as to why the biblical author begins with introducing Noah as "a righteous man in...
Torah Reflections Oct. 7 – 13, 2012
Bereshit Genesis 1:1 - 6:8 Cain And Abel: A Teaching on Generosity 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...
A “Days of Awe” Retreat -Day 3
What Does it Mean to Forgive? Why do we Resist it? - Day 2 Forgiving does not come easy to us. Let's be honest, the ego is not one to easily give up the past hurts, affronts, painful incidents, and grudges it holds onto in its memory bank. All of these past...
A “Days of Awe” Retreat – Day 2
Back to Life, Back to Reality The Ten Days of Awe between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, are an opportunity to enter into a time of personal retreat, the theme of which is "forgiveness." The path of forgiveness is one of the most powerful spiritual paths available to...
Torah Reflections September 2 – 8, 2012
Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8 Listening to God's Voice As the rabbis of Talmudic times ordered the daily prayer schedule, they made sure we recite the Sh'ma--the central affirmation of our tradition--at least three times a day; during morning and evening services...
Torah Reflections August 26 – September 1, 2012
Ki Teitzei Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19 Why Say A Blessing? As we find ourselves entering the second half of the book of Deuteronomy, our weekly parasha/portion contains a record of individual, familial, and communal laws and mitzvot. In the passage that pertains...
Torah Reflections August 19 – 25, 2012
Shoftim; Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9 The Healing Power of Self-Awareness This week marks 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. Elul is a month of preparation ahead of the...
Torah Reflections August 12 – 18, 2012
Re'eh Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17 Blessings -- OK, bring them on; but why curses? This week's Torah portion is close to my heart. It was the Torah portion of the week of my wedding, thirteen years ago, and is called Re'eh, which means "See!" It begins: See!...
Torah Reflections July 29 – August 4, 2012
Va-Et'chanan Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11 The Blueprint of a Spiritual Journey This week's Torah portion is awash in an abundance of themes. It includes Moses' plea to God to upend His death sentence so that he, too, may enter the Promised Land. It speaks of the three...
Torah Reflections July 15 – 21, 2012
Mattot-Masei Numbers 30:2 - 36:13 These Are The Journeys The second of this week's double Torah portion, Masei--the last Torah portion of the Book of Numbers--acts as a prelude to the book of Deuteronomy which...