As the recent and troubling news about the IRS and NSA continue to unfold and become considerably more complicated, one aspect of our modern society continuously emerges. When it comes to any perceived (or real) infringement of our self interests: attack first and gather information later. Read more...

Sitting in the hospital, the man I am there to visit says to me: "Rabbi, I have reached the end of my options, and I am going to die. I am coming to terms with it and now, I only need to live long enough to see my son graduate from School." Over the years as a rabbi, some version of this scene has played itself out numerous times - a person knows s/he is dying and in the process of coming to terms only wants to live long enough to witness one last important moment in the life of one of their children or grandchildren. Read more...

Do you ever find yourself talking to one friend or family member about another friend or family member? More often than not, it seems, people use these opportunities to compare themselves or to express criticism of others. Sometimes, the person sharing doesn't even realize that words they are saying about the other are really a reflection of their own self image or their own transference. The remarkable thing is, however, it takes no less energy and creates a very different impression when the words shared are ones of compliment and blessing. Read more...

So much happens to the Israelites in Parashat Hukkat that, perhaps like life itself, it is sometimes difficult to know where to focus. As our rich parashah moves quickly from incident to incident in the lives of the Israelites, I invite you to slow down, take a breath, and give yourself time to consider each incident and what it may mean for us today. Here are some thoughts on the first three aliyot of the parashah. Read more...

In one of the most gripping scenes in the Torah, the Gentile prophet Bilaam has been summoned to curse the assembled Israelites on behalf of Balak, the King of Edom. Protesting that he can only say what he is instructed by God, Bilaam nonetheless ascends the heights of a nearby mountain, to get a commanding view of Israel - all the better to curse them. Each time he attempts to curse the people, and each time he is overwhelmed by God's mandate to bless. Finally, in a moment of personal envy and hope, Bilaam blurts out, "Let me die the death of the righteous. May my fate be like theirs!" Read more...