Walking and Standing
It is not obvious that the compilers of the Torah chose to finish the third book of the Torah with a set of blessings and curses. A similar section of blessings and curses, yet much longer, is found at the end of Deuteronomy, the fifth Torah book.
A Kinder, Gentler Nation
This week brings us Yom Y'rushalayim (May 8 / 28 Iyar), one of several Jewish holidays commemorating events of war in the modern State of Israel. This one recalls Israel's "recovery" of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967.
We’ve Got to Stop It
The sign read, "We've got to stop it," and under it a woman sat alone at a table in the grocery store parking lot. The sign also contained the words "domestic violence," so I walked over. She greeted me warmly, "I'm trying to put a face to it. To say it could happen to anyone.
The Wilderness: Israel's Test and Ours
Since I am the rabbi of a synagogue called Beth Knesset Bamidbar, Parashat B'midbar has a special place in my heart.
The Sacred Compass for Our Journey
B'midbar, "Into the wilderness." Each experience along the way, each encounter on our path, helps to mold us as individuals. Likewise, the travels of our ancestors through the desert wilderness helped to fashion their character.
Longing to Reenter the Wilderness
I had never had a mystical experience until I entered the wilderness of Sinai about twenty years ago. At the time, I didn't know I has having a mystical experience. It is only hindsight that allows me to recognize what it was.
A Bag of Bones, Beauty, and Blessing
On the day that the Mishkan was fully erected, the princely chieftains were instructed to bring identical tribal offerings to the Mishkan (Numbers 7:10).