Last week we read the dramatic story of the giving of the Ten Commandments. There were thunder and fire and God’s voice booming from the mountain top. Good movies come from Parshiot like that one! This week we find ourselves in a completely different setting. Parashat Mishpatim lacks the excitement of its predecessor. It contains Continue Reading »
This week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah (the life of Sarah,) opens not with life, as the title might suggest, but instead with Sarah’s death. We find Abraham in deep grief- mourning, weeping, and likely wondering how he will move forward without her. But rather than withdrawing from society, or weeping by Sarah’s side forever, we Continue Reading »
This week’s Torah portion begins with the story of Abram leaving his birthplace in Haran. God promises the land of Canaan to Abram and his descendants. Because of a famine in the land, Abram takes his family to Egypt. While there, the pharaoh orders Abram’s wife, Sarai, to live in his palace. Plagues come upon Continue Reading »
This past week, all of us were shocked by yet another assassination of a political leader: Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist who galvanized millions of people and had a lasting effect on American politics. The loss of his life is tragic. In Parshat N’tzavim, which we read this Shabbat and also on Yom Kippur Continue Reading »
