Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

In a world so frenzied that we rarely have time to pause, to contemplate, to connect, it is too easy to pass our lives without savoring the preciousness of our time on Earth. Distracted by our tasks, burdened by a sometimes selfish and uncaring world, we struggle to maintain our own balance, to preserve mindfulness amidst the distractions, to cultivate gratitude with grace.   Today’s Torah portion offers us a tool to sustain that radiance in the commonplace.   Read more...

One of my most vivid childhood memories is of my father giving me birthday and/or Hanukah presents.  Not necessarily for the presents themselves for I have long since forgotten what most of them were, but for the way in which he would give them.  Sitting in his chair in the living room, he would call me to the room, saying he dropped something behind the chair, and needed me to get it for him.  While you might think that this pattern might have gotten old, each time (for more years than I care to admit) it had the same result – exasperated and complaining, I would reach behin Read more...

In Parashat Yitro, the Torah turns from the foundational stories of Western civilization – the Creation of the world and the Exodus from Egyptian slavery – to the rich legislative legacy that implements the Biblical vision of holiness, justice, and peace. Gathering around the base of Mt. Sinai, the Judaism people receive Aseret Ha-Dibrot (the Ten Commandments), and pledge their loyalty to the Covenant offered by God. Read more...

With the opening of Sefer Sh’mot, the Book of Exodus, the Torah moves from cosmic origins to the role of God in salvation and history. As the Israelites find themselves in a descending spiral of servitude and suffering, their call to God unleashes the ultimate conflict, between the very wellsprings of life and liberation (that we recognize as God) and the embodiment of tyranny and pointlessness epitomized by Pharaoh. Read more...

In this week's Torah portion, Vayechi, we complete the reading of the book of Genesis, meeting Jacob on his death bed, surrounded by his children.  Having asked Joseph to take care of the details of his burial and ensure that he will be buried in Israel, Jacob summons his twelve sons, prepared to share final words with his children.  Clearly a man with things on his mind and desire to share them, Jacob calls to his children saying:  'Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. Read more...