Words That Inspire.
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Words with Friends
Words have power. Reputations can be created or destroyed by a 144 character tweet. Words connecting us to God had power for our biblical ancestors, as reflected in the third commandment to not swear falsely by Y-H-V-H's name. And by Balaam's inability to undo his unintentional blessing of the Israelites - "how goodly are your…
July 14, 2015
Demand Your Share!
Women and Men are equal. Why would I even need to write those words? The Torah reading for this week, Pinchas, incorporates a story of a rung on the ladder to climb a wall toward such equality. We have not yet finished the climb. We read that the five daughters of a man named Zelophehad…
July 5, 2015
The Devil We Know
For all of Torah's miracles large and small, this week's story of a talking donkey who sees an angel is perhaps Torah's most magical and childlike narrative. In its words lurks a profound secret that touches (and challenges) the core of our adult sense of good and evil, right and wrong. Parshat Balak is named for a king who…
June 28, 2015
After Charleston: Forward and Upward
This week nine people killed in a church in Charleston will be laid to rest down in the ground. 14 times in six years there have been mass killings in the United States. After such a tragedy we might seek some positive message in Torah. This week we learn that from descent comes ascent, and…
June 22, 2015
How to Question Authority (and stay alive)
We each have had the desire at times to confront our leaders, be they religious or political, and question their actions. The skill of questioning authority can mean the difference between holiness and sacrilege. The weekly Torah reading is named for Korach, a prince among the people who stood as an accuser against leaders Moses and Aharon. Korach reproaches…
June 14, 2015
Fashion and Spirit
"Clothes make the man," said Shakespeare (Hamlet I:iii). Jewish tradition couldn't agree more. This week's Torah portion (Shlach) brings a mitzvah (command) to tie fringes to our clothes. This is the derivation of the Jewish tallit (prayer shawl) tied with tzitzit (fringes). Torah records God to tell Moses (Num. 15:37-40): "Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make for themselves fringes…
June 8, 2015
Time to Pass It On
The parsha baha'alotecha is "my family parsha". My uncle read it when he became a bar mitzvah eighty-nine years ago, my son read it nineteen years ago and my cousin read it for her bat mitzvah just six years ago. Additionally, the prophetic portion, the haftarah, from Zechariah is also read at Hanukkah and two…
June 1, 2015
Sage-ing, not aging
Age is an invitation and not a closed door. Take this week’s Torah portion, Naso. A census of the Levitical tribes is required. The priests with caretaking duties between the ages of 30 and 50 are recorded and enlisted for duties in the Tent of Meeting, where sacrifices were offered. We can opine as to why…
May 25, 2015
Uplifting History: Make Everyone Count
If you're reading this blogpost, your ancestors probably hailed from another continent. Most of us focus more on where we are than from where we've come. Today we might know little of our ancestral history: memories fade, wars ravage, families scatter and interest wanes. Yet, there are many advantages to recalling the names of those…
May 16, 2015
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