Monday, May 20, 2019
The final portion of this third book of the Torah contains an ominous tone. This is because of the vivid description of evil events that will befall the Jewish people when they desert their Godly mission and sink to the level of the societies that surround and outnumber them. The Torah promises us that such behavior and attitudes will surely lead to disaster, exile and persecution from the very societies that the Jews try to emulate.
All Jewish history bears testimony to the accuracy of the words that exist in this week's portion of the Torah. And the way the Torah presents these events, which will occur in the future, is not in the necessary framework of punishment but rather in the...
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Sunday, May 19, 2019
Though the holiday of Purim is long behind us in the calendar year it made an indelible impression upon me and taught me a lesson that I am reminded of even now. In our synagogue on Purim the congregants were dressed up in various costumes and headgear. Some of our old military veterans wore their military uniforms that, amazingly enough, still fit. Other people had outlandish costumes ranging from pirates to that of noble men of far distant periods of history.
I am not a big costume aficionado as far as I personally am concerned. My rabbinic tradition and personal inhibitions limit my choice of costume radically. This last Purim eve I rummage through my collection of ties, many of...
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