Torah Reflections

Tuning in to God's Voice: Ki Tavo Ki Tavo: Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8   As the rabbis of Talmudic times ordered the daily prayer schedule, they made sure we recite the Sh’ma—the central affirmation of our tradition—at least three times a day; during morning and...

Bridging Heaven & Earth: Ki Teitzei Ki Teitzei: Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19   As we find ourselves entering the second half of the book of Deuteronomy, our weekly parasha/portion contains a record of individual, familial, and communal laws and mitzvot. In the...

Humility is Not Humiliation: Shoftim Shoftim: Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9   This week is the first week of Elul, the month leading up to Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. It is traditionally a time dedicated to introspection, to reviewing the year that was, and to...

Waking Up From Our Collective Amnesia: Re'eh Re'eh: Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17 See! I place before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing, that you listen to the mitzvot of the Eternal your God, that I enjoin upon you today; and the curse if you do not listen...

Practicing Gemilut Chasadim to Change the World: Chukat-Balak Chukat-Balak: Numbers 19:1-25:9   One of the most popular writings of the Hebrew Bible is Pirkei Avot. Mistakenly translated as “Ethics of the Fathers,” it truly means: “First Principles.” The second...

The Rebel Within: Korach Korach: Numbers 16:1-18:32   This week’s Torah portion retells the famous story of the rebellion of Korach. Korach challenges Moses and Aharon’s authority and their system of rule over the Hebrews. “All the community are holy, each and...

Journey Through Our Inner Landscape: Sh'lach Lecha Sh'lach Lecha: Numbers 13:1-15:41 This week’s Torah portion exemplifies for me the powerful impact Torah study can have on our daily lives. The text brings us to the episode of the scouts Moses sends, under God’s...

The Many Branches of Our Inner Menorah: B'haalot'cha B'haalot'cha: Numbers 8:1-12:16 The Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you kindle the lamps, toward the face of the Menorah shall the seven lamps cast light.” Aaron did so… This is...

Freedom From The Yoke of Desires: Nasso Nasso: Numbers 4:21-7:89   As we often hear, mindfulness practice is the art of being present to each moment, of paying attention to each experience in our everyday life. Interestingly enough, in Hebrew, the expression for...

We Lose Our self to Find Our Self: B'midbar B-midbar: Numbers 1:1 - 4:20 The midrash relating to the opening of this week's Torah portion, "B'midbar," meaning: "In the wilderness;" asks its reader: "Why was the Torah given in the wilderness?" Why not, our rabbis...

"An Eye For an Eye": Retributive or Restorative Justice?: Emor Emor: Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23 Toward the end of this week’s Torah portion we find the verses that have fueled centuries of anti-Semitism and often been a pretext for abandoning one’s Jewish (or Christian)...