The death of a parent at any stage of life and at any age is a tragic and traumatic experience. I find that the grief is more profound for the surviving spouse than even for the surviving children. Children somehow find a way to move on with their lives. They factored in the inevitability of the death of a parent into their subconscious and thus usually were and are able to deal with their... READ MORE →
It will come as a surprise to no one that the Torah, and Judaism generally, apparently values human life above all else. Rare are the cases to be found in the Jewish story and in halacha where human life is not the primary value that trumps all other behavior and ideals. The story of the akeida – of Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Almighty and at the last moment being... READ MORE →
כושר ההתאוששות – העמידה בניסיון מדוע אברהם מיוחד כל כך? התורה לא מעניקה לו את התארים המחמיאים שהיא מרעיפה על נוח בתחילת הפרשה של השבוע שעבר. הנכונות שלו למות בשם אמונתו באל אחד במבחן הכבשן באור כשדים אפילו לא... READ MORE →
Why is Avraham so special? The Torah does not grant him the complimentary adjectives that it lavished upon Noach at the beginning of last week’s parsha. His willingness to die on behalf of his belief in one God at the test of the furnace of Ur Casdim is not even mentioned in the Torah text. It was only inferred by the rabbis from tradition and a reference to one word – Ur – in the text... READ MORE →
The usual take on Noach seems to be that even though he was himself a righteous individual he really is not to be overly commended since he was unable – some say even unwilling – to save his generation from the cataclysm of the flood. Since the opinions of the rabbis and the sages of Israel over all of the ages is pretty much divided on how to deal with Noach – especially vis a vis... READ MORE →
The Midrash teaches us that when God, so to speak, consulted in heaven as to whether or not to create humans, four representatives presented their views to the Almighty. By the way, this Midrash is a very instructive way to begin to understand the role of Midrash generally in rabbinic writing. The rabbis always wish to express deep philosophic ideas, conundrums and contradictions that we... READ MORE →
שבת שובה משה קורא לשמים ולארץ להאזין לדבריו על נצחיות הברית בין הקב"ה לעם ישראל, ברית שהשפיעה על ההיסטוריה האנושית כולו זה יותר משלושת אלפים שנה. אך בכל הכבוד, לא רק השמים והארץ צריכים להאזין בתשומת לב לדבריו של... READ MORE →
Moshe calls upon heaven and earth to hear his message of the eternity of the covenant between God and Israel, a covenant that has influenced all of human history for over three millennia. But with all due respect, it is not only the heavens and earth that need to listen and pay attention to Moshe’s message. Rather, it is for us, the people of Israel that needs to... READ MORE →
המילים האחרונות של משה לבני ישראל בעניין דרכם בעתיד וייעודם מתועדות בפרשיות האחרונות האלה של התורה. משה לא הולך סחור-סחור ולא מציע דברי הרגעה פשוטים אלא מספר לבני ישראל על הקשיים ועל האסונות שעתידים להתרחש.... READ MORE →
The final words of Moshe to Israel regarding its future course in history and destiny are recorded for us in these last parshiyot of the Torah. Mincing no words and offering no simple palliatives, Moshe tells Israel of its impending tragedies and difficulties. He offers hope and confidence that eventually all will come right and that there is no room... READ MORE →
