Godliness is a matter of perception – the perception of the individual himself or herself, as well as the perception of the outside society. Avraham is recognized, even by his pagan peers, as being a person of Godliness in their midst. A Godly person is recognizable to others through behavior, speech, and interpersonal relationships. That is what Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant meant in his... READ MORE →
יראת שמים היא עניין של תפיסה - תפיסה של האדם עצמו וגם תפיסה של החברה שבה הוא חי. אברהם מקבל הכרה, אפילו מבני דורו עובדי האלילים, כאדם ירא שמים שחי בקרבם. אנשים מזהים אדם ירא שמים לפי התנהגותו, דרך דיבורו ויחסיו עם בני אדם... READ MORE →
Rashi comments that the Lord assured Avraham that leaving his home and family in Aram and heading to a then unknown destination would somehow be to his benefit and ultimate good. Even though this may appear strange to the casual observer – leaving the known and secure and heading out to wander to an unknown destination – the ways of the Lord are inscrutable and often counter-intuitive to... READ MORE →
הייעוד היהודי בארץ-ישראל רש"י מפרש שהקב"ה הבטיח לאברהם שאם יעזוב את ביתו ומשפחתו בארם וילך אל הארץ הלא נודעת הזאת, זה יהיה להנאתו ולטובתו. גם אם זה נראה מוזר למתבונן מן הצד - לעזוב את המוכר והבטוח ולצאת אל יעד לא... READ MORE →
הפרשיות הפותחות את התורה מציגות תמונה עגומה למדי של האנושות ושל העולם שלנו בכלל. נדמה שכל דבר נאצל ובעל ערך אבד במבול של שחיתות, תאוות בצע ורצח. ונראה שסוג כזה של התנהגות אנושית חלחל גם אל צורות חיים אחרות בכוכב הלכת... READ MORE →
The opening parshiyot of the Torah portray a rather dismal picture of the human race and of our world generally. Everything noble and worthwhile seems to have spun away in a flood of vice, avarice, and murder. And this type of human behavior seems to have filtered down to the other forms of life on the planet as well. The great flood described in this week’s parsha can therefore be... READ MORE →
The Torah completed its annual cycle of weekly readings this past week with the parsha of V’Zot Habracha. It begins our new yearly reading of the Torah this Shabat with the reading of parshat Bereshith. Rashi points out to us that when Moshe came to bless the tribes of Israel before departing this world he purposely connected his blessings to the past blessings of Yaakov to his children... READ MORE →
There are many moral lessons that are derived from the story of creation as related to us in this parsha and also in next week’s parsha of Noach. One of the insights that I find most relevant and instructive has to do with the relationship of humankind to the animal kingdom and the rest of the natural world. According to Jewish tradition Adam and Chava and their immediate... READ MORE →
The holy Torah concludes with the blessings of Moshe to the people of Israel before his passing from the world. Though the point has been made before, a number of times in these parsha articles, it bears repetition – the blessing to each of the tribes is different in detail and purpose. Contrary to much current belief and practice in religious Jewish society, there is no one-size-fits-all... READ MORE →
This song of Moshe is the song of the Jewish story. It accurately portrays the arc of Jewish history in its glorious as well as its dolorous moments. The Ramban’s comment as to the proof of the holiness and accuracy of Moshe’s prophetic words – “If someone stood and accurately foretold what would happen many centuries later, would not one in hindsight be forced to admit to the truth of... READ MORE →
