Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

Several years ago I had the pleasure of taking a trip to the land of Israel traveling with my wife, Elana, and with a dear friend and rabbinic colleague. At some point Elana had some family business in Tel Aviv, so I and my friend took a bus ride to the North, to the mystical city of Tzvat. On the bus we were approached by someone wearing a black hat, very strictly observant, who started a religious argument in which I declined to participate, but which my colleague and friend seemed to enjoy. Read more...

Dear ones, there are many questions that are reverberating in this sanctuary right now. I take the liberty to challenge you one last time, one last question, at this last moment before you are called up to receive your title as "rav u'moreh / morah b'yisrael": Is this a moment of "V'zote Ha'bracha" or is this a moment of "B'reishit"? Read more...

"If your kinsman, being in straits, comes under your authority, and you hold him as though a resident alien, let him live by your side: do not exact from him advance or accrued interest, but fear your God. Let your brother live by your side." (Leviticus 25:35-36) Read more...

This week's parashah, Emor, is known as Torat Cohanim, the teaching for/of the Cohanim. Whereas the previous sections of the Torah focused on the holiness code for all the people, this section reads as a manual for the priests, instructing them on attaining holiness through their own set of symbolic obligations, duties, and maintenance. Read more...

It seems that so many times in life the more important moments are actually the ones that happen between the staged events. It's the last few words at the door when parting from a friend; it's the chat in the corridor between the sanctuary and the kiddush on Shabbat morning; it's the exchange while standing together in the elevator. They seem to offer wisdom, insight, or even comfort, in an unchoreographed moment. This is also what makes eavesdropping such a tempting activity. Read more...