Parshah • August 2023
Shoftim – The Judge and the Policeman
Society may have the wisest judges but without an effective police force, the judges’ wisdom remains but empty words. And the converse is also true: having a strong police force…
Society may have the wisest judges but without an effective police force, the judges’ wisdom remains but empty words. And the converse is also true: having a strong police force…
There is a wonderful teaching in Pirkei Avot, the section of the Talmud devoted to the wisdom-teachings of the Masters of old. Therein it is asked, “Who is the wise…
You recall the wonderful experience of walking upon the shore of the sea watching a beautiful sunset over the distant horizon, and becoming aware of your feet sinking comfortably into…
At night we are tireder and less likely to think creatively, whereas in the morning we feel fresh and energetic. This is because both soul and body underwent a rejuvenation…
In this week’s Parsha, Pinchas, the 12 tribes of Israel receive their allocation of the land of Israel. It was via a lottery. To most people, a lottery means random…
In this double Sedra of Chukas-Balak, we encounter the enigmatic and perplexing personnage of Bila’am. Endowed with extremely high spiritual capacities (some say equivalent to Moses) he presents as an…
Korach, the central figure, and name, of our Parsha this week, was a gifted individual. Smart, eloquent, wealthy, holding a high position, and a member of Moses’ own family, he…
The failure of the mission by the twelve spies is a mystery. How could they lose faith in G-d? But they didn’t. They simply mistook a well-known teaching not to…
There’s no point in lighting a candle if it doesn’t stay lit. Likewise, there is no point meeting people if you don’t raise their spirits and inspire their self-belief. The…
t’s been almost seven weeks since Pesach. Shavuot is around the corner this Thursday night through Saturday. We have been counting the Omer nightly, and those of us who are…
Mt. Sinai was not the tallest mountain in the Middle East – it was modest, almost a mere hill-top. This teaches us the virtue of humility and ego-abnegation. If we…
A seed needs soil for it to grow. It also needs the gardener to till the soil. The human seed needs the mother’s womb for nurture. The future child’s growth…
It’s just a form of bread, isn’t it? Perhaps a little more basic, and rustic, but bread nevertheless? Yet Matza has a spiritual connotation far beyond the symbol of Passover…
When making the offerings in the temple, the fats had to be burnt first. Interestingly, when we fast, we use up our storage fats – focusing that day on the…