Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

On this, the last Shabbat of 2006, many of us are already turning our attention to next year, planning; thinking about what, if any, resolutions we might make for the new year. Knowing that some of our resolutions have appeared on previous years’ lists, we know all too well how easily we can forget or forego our best intentions when other things get in the way. Read more...

We read Parashat Mi’Ketz during the celebration of Hanukkah, the commemoration of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago. In history, this period marks the assertion of Jewish national and religious freedom, a period of quasi independence that made it possible for Judaism to survive the onslaught of Roman rule in the centuries ahead. Spiritually, the image of a Temple rededicated invites introspection about our own internal rededication to our own highest ideals, to correlate our ways with God’s aspirations and mandate. Read more...

Short hours of sunlight.  Long nights of darkness. In these, cold, almost-winter days of December, is can easily be that the sun has barely risen when we leave our homes and is already set when we leave our offices.  And, if you’ve had the experience I’ve had, you sometimes find yourself feeling like it is the middle of the night when, in reality, it is barely past 5 pm.  And, it is just at this time that Hanukkah arrives, when for eight nights, our primary mitzvah is to illuminate the darkness of night with the lights of our menorah. Read more...

Dignity and honor are important attributes for most people.  We zealously guard our own dignity, often over-reacting to perceived slights delivered by others.  We recoil with horror from moments which compromise our own dignity, and we respond with rage when we feel belittled. Read more...

Ours is an age of busy people, scurrying around to accomplish more at work, at play, and at home. Agendas filled to bursting keep us bustling from one activity to another, always on the run, always a little late. It is a sign of one’s importance to frequently look at one’s watch, or to always be near a phone. Our public activities – our image and our reputation – consume the better part of our attention and the lion’s share of our energy. Read more...