The Joys of a Commandment-Driven Life The Torah recounts how, before Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the first set of the tablets of the Ten Commandments, G-d told him that the Jewish people have created an idol — a golden calf. But Moses wasn’t alarmed; he was determined …
And in the wilderness where you have seen how that the LORD your G-d carried you as a man does bear his son in all the way that you went until you came into this place —– Deuteronomy 1:31 Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, …
On Tisha B’Av, a day fraught with tragedy throughout Jewish history, we have many reasons to cry. On the surface, we cry over the destruction of the Temple, which was destroyed twice on this day. For most people it is difficult to really feel the pain over the destruction of the …
“Behold you have sinned against G-d. And you your sin will find you.” ~~ Numbers 32:23 When the Jewish people received the commandments from G-d at Mt. Sinai they understood the difference between freedom from oppression and freedom to expression. When they left Egypt the Jewish people were only freed from Egyptian slavery but only when …
G-d is like a great coach who’s training you for the Olympics. He sets up a training ground filled with obstacles. That is His gift to you. He is really creating opportunities for you to jump higher. He also knows that the higher you need to jump, the harder you …
The Torah records that Bilaam, one of our arch enemies, intended to curse the Jewish people but ended up blessing them saying, “Verily, a people that will dwell alone; not recognized among the nations.” Loneliness is a blessing. From the very inception of our nationhood, the Jews have stood alone, …
The Talmud teaches that King Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes after he saw prophetically that his kingdom and the Temple that he worked so hard to build would be destroyed. Imagine what a devastating realization that must have been to know that what you invested your entire life will …
The name in the Torah that has been translated as G-d or Lord is Adonai. The word Adonai means “Master.” In Jewish law, whatever a servant owns actually belongs to his master; the servant has no possessions whatsoever. This law also governs our spirituality: G-d is our Master, and in …
In this week’s Torah portion Korach, a member of Moses’ tribe the Levites and other communal leaders challenge Moses’s leadership and the appointment of priesthood to Moses’ brother Aaron. Motivated by envy toward Moses and Aaron they argue for equality. We are all holy. How can there be a hierarchy …
The original destination of the Israelites when they escaped their slave masters in Egypt was the Promised Land. The funny thing, though, is that when they were about to get there, they started to have second thoughts. They sent in a group of spies to check it out. This group …