Parasha Vayakhel-Pekudai
What is our "Fair Share" ? This week in our Torah reading we come to the conclusion of the Book of Exodus and the conclusion of the account of the…
Parasha Ki Tissah
And oftentimes excusing of a faultDoth make the fault the worse by the excuse.~William Shakespeare In this week's Parasha, Ki Tissa, the Israelites, under the guidance of Aaron, build a…
Parasha Terumah
Chim-Chim-Cherubim Our Torah portion for this week is Terumah. Moses is asked by G-d to instruct the people to bring gifts and contributions from which a place of worship, called…
Parasha Mishpatim
Let Holiness Suffuse our Lives There are times in our lives when the presence of G-d is almost palpable – standing at the Grand Canyon at sunrise, witnessing the arrival…
Parasha Vaera 2012
The Torah tells us that when Moses protested that he could not go before Pharaoh because he could not speak, G-d answers: ".......See, I place you in the role of…
Parasha Shmot 2012
Recognizing the Good Done to Us by Others This week we begin the Book of Exodus in our Torah reading. The Book of Genesis left us last week at a…
Leaving the Comfort Zone
Leaving the Comfort Zone How do we build the courage to draw upon that light we discovered in December and move forward to a new life – spiritually, socially,…
Parasha Toldot: Fathers and Sons
Fathers and Sons In my little town I never meant nothin' I was just my fathers son Saving my money Dreaming of glory Twitching like a finger On the…
One Hundred Blessings a Day
One Hundred Blessings A Day From where do we get the idea that a Jew should recite 100 blessings a day? This comes from a verse in Parasha Ekev, "What…
Erev Rosh HaShana 5771 Doing Things Backward?
Doing Things Backward? Last year, as we were sitting down to eat lunch after the Rosh Hashanah services, a question arose that I thought would be interesting to look at…