Parshah • December 2021
Shemot – What’s in a Name?
The word ‘shemot’ means ‘names’. A name can never describe the essence of the person, and yet it identifies him or her. Likewise, G-d has many names which help us…
Shemot - Exodus • January 2021
Shemot – Of Gamblers, Pharaoh and You
Consider a compulsive gambler in a casino. He is a high roller with plenty of money. He spends all night at the tables and loses the $100,000 he came with.…
Parshah • December 2018
Shemot – Who is The Free Spirit?
In this week’s Parsha of Shemot we read of the beginning of the descent of the Jewish people into Egypt. But the same section also narrates G-d’s promise of Israel’s…
Parshah • January 2018
Shemot – The Lure of Exile
We slid into the Egyptian exile by trying to be more patriotic than the Egyptians. We built their cities and designed their buildings. Yet ultimately we were totally rejected. People…
Parshah • January 2017
Shemot – What’s In A Name?
When did a name first begin? A name belies the essence of the spiritual force that animates it. We are the Ivri descendants of 2 of the 12 tribes –Binyamin…
Parshah • October 2013
Shemot – Eiley Shemos Bnai Yisroel
In Judaism, the giving of a name is not an incidental matter. We are taught that when parents give names to their children, the names go to the core of…