Post How Passionate Love for the Land Set a Tribe Apart I had it all planned out. I told my parents I was going to hang out with friends. The story was that we were having a barbecue but the real… Read More
Post Mount Sinai: The Burning Bush to the Giving of the Torah The Burning Bush described in this week’s Torah portion has become the archetypal symbol of the divine call to action. Referred to in theology as a theophany, the bush was… Read More
Post Expanding the Borders of the Land of Israel “Can I get you something to drink?” “No, thank you. I don’t want to bother you.” “Maybe a cup of water?” “Well, okay. If it is not a bother, a… Read More
Post Joshua or Caleb: What Makes an Exceptional Leader? Eeny, meeny, miny, mo… How do YOU choose when you have a decision to make? Do you flip a coin? Sometimes it is hard to make trivial decisions. What about… Read More
Post Loss and Love: Why Moses Lost His Patience at the Rock “Mommy, I am thirsty!” How many parents have heard this (or some version) repeated every few minutes for hours? And then, when a rest stop finally appears and water is… Read More
Post Marching to the Messiah: An Invitation from Moses to You Shortly after I got married I introduced a friend to my mother-in-law. Hearing the loaded term, my mother-in-law flinched, not wanting the title with all of its negative connotations. Noticing… Read More
Post The Ideal Quality in a Leader… Arranging Benches? The world is going through a crisis in leadership. So many countries are struggling with essential issues. Israel is about to go to the polls for the fifth time in… Read More
Post The Lovely Almond Tree: Symbolizing the Temple in Destruction and Resurrection Going out to the fields in Israel in the winter presents the beautiful sight of almond trees in bloom, covered in white blossoms. But it is not for its physical… Read More
Post The Many Names of God In Moses’ dramatic first encounter with God, he asks who he should say sent him to free the Jews. More precisely, he asks, “When I come to the Israelites and… Read More
Post The Portion of Ha’azinu The portion of Ha’azinu contains the song mentioned in the previous Torah portion (Vayeilech), which God told Moses to teach the Children of Israel so they would always understand the… Read More