Mishpatim
02/22/2017 09:53:08 PM
“Did you hear the news about him? Well, actually, I probably shouldn’t tell”
“What a tease! Now you have to tell me!”
Speaking comes so naturally to many of us, that we often forget to think before we speak. If we are lucky, we think as we speak, and occasionally we speak without even thinking at all. Our speech plays such a central role in our social interactions that it quickly becomes second nature....Read more...
B'Shalach
02/08/2017 09:53:08 PM
As Parshat B'shalach begins, we are told that God chooses not to take the Israelites on the shorter path to the Promised Land, through the land of the Philistines, but rather the round-about way in the wilderness and the Sea of Reeds. The Torah explains that if the Israelites were to take the shorter path than they would see war and they would want to return to Egypt. So instead they are led on a longer journey. And… it doesn’t seem to...Read more...
VaEira
01/26/2017 09:53:08 PM
The Torah paints a picture that there is a tradeoff between humility and social power. The humbler a person is, the greater that person is in the eyes of the community. Moses is the epitome of humility. When given the option of being God’s prophet, a spokesperson of the Divine, he says “no thanks,” and only agrees because God commands him to take on the role. And as readers of the text, we understand this as the perfect person for...Read more...
Vayechi
01/11/2017 09:53:08 PM
Oaths are a fascinating thing. In its simplest form, an oath is an agreement to fulfill certain actions and behave in a certain way. At the time the oath is made, the action has yet to be realized. Yet the power of the oath assures us that the action will in fact be carried out. We trust oaths. And that is why we shun the practice of breaking oaths. If we can’t trust people to live up to their promises, then how can we trust people to...Read more...