When we read the Torah some of its laws disturb our moral sensitivities. When this happens we must remind ourselves of the purpose of the Torah. Not all the laws of Torah represent its ideals. Some of them may even seem to contradict the very ideal that they are serving …
“I (G-d) will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto you (Moses); and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him” (Deut. 18: 18) The Torah claims that G-d revealed Himself to the entire …
“Thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from your needy brother; surely open thy hand to him.” — Deut. 15:7-8 The Talmud teaches: “Tzedaka [commonly translated as charity] saves from death.” When we need an incredible influx of life force — because we are facing impending physical …
Imagine somebody suggests to you that you should tell your spouse “I love you” three times a day. Sounds like a great idea. You wake up in the morning and start rushing off to work. “Oh, my gosh!” You hurry back and say, “Honey, I love you. See you later.” …
You who are bonded with the Lord, your God, are alive, totally, today. ~ Deut. 4:4 Unfortunately, many people think “serving God” is submitting to an egomaniacal deity who dwells in heaven and demands, “You must serve me! Obey my commandments and do them with a smile! Or else I …
In the Book of Isaiah, G-d exclaims, “My thoughts are not your thoughts.” This means that G-d’s perspective is totally different from our human perspective. This essentially is G-d’s answer to Job. Job suffers a series of tragedies: the death of all his children, illness, and material loss. He tries …
Torah teaches that “Silence is a protective fence to wisdom.” To guard our true wisdom we need to get in touch with what we know in silence before we try to put it into limited words. Tradition tells us that when a baby is still in the womb, an angel …
Is the story of life a monologue, where the G-d is like an author talking in many different voices to Himself through us, His characters, and our lives are totally determined? Or is the story of life a dialogue, where we the characters interact with G-d the author and contribute …
Eicha was written by Jeremiah the prophet after the destruction of the First Temple 586 B.C.E. Chapter 1 Yermiyahu describes the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people –the sorrow, the betrayal, the shame, torment, devastation, humility, loneliness, ridicule, and poverty. He contrasts what Jerusalem was in …
Imagine you were a seed but you didn’t know you were a seed. One day someone comes along and buries you alive. Rotting away in the ground, suffering a slow torturous death, could you possibly fathom that this heinous crime is actually an immense act of loving – kindness. Burying …