Torah Thought

NEW YORK (JTA)—For centuries, studying a page of the Talmud has come with a bevy of barriers to entry. Written mostly in Aramaic, the Talmud in its most commonly printed form also lacks punctuation or vowels, let alone translation. Its premier explanatory commentary,...

It’s interesting to reflect on the Torah portion, Parshat Bo, while reading Alan Morinis’s book, Everyday Holiness, in preparation for Tidewater Together. This year, the series of programs focuses on the theory and practice of mussar, a 200-year-old system of Jewish...

The great and most colorful Joseph saga extends over four Torah portions and 13 chapters. Just like Joseph, the dreamer and interpreter of incredible dreams (he should have kept some of them to himself!), the Jewish people have believed that noble, as well as...

Pharaoh dreamed two dreams. In the first, he was standing on the river Nile. He watched as seven skinny cows consumed seven stout ones. It was a dream, but it was Pharaoh’s type of dream. It was about him and he was the focal character. Pharaoh liked that. He turned...

Hanukkah’s origins in the drama of a small, yet determined people with a large vision standing up to the might of the Hellenistic empire of antiquity, is a poignant demonstration and a timeless reminder of Israel’s unique and timely legacy. The heroic Maccabees’...

“Abraham was old, advanced in years. The LORD had blessed Abraham in all [things].—The Numerological equivalent of the word “all” is 52, [meaning] “son”. Inasmuch as Abraham had a son [Isaac], it was necessary to arrange for him to marry.”—Rashi, commentary to Genesis...

Noah was destined to be neither the father of the Jewish people nor the founder of our faith. Though the most righteous one in his corrupt generation, he failed to reach out and save human lives besides those of his family. Thus, the rabbis who were aware of Noah’s...

We are approaching the Jewish “holiday season.” As we get closer, all of us are busy making arrangements and making sure that everything is set just right for our meals, our guests and our holiday experiences. We teach our children that this is an important time of...

One year is ending and another is beginning. We stand before G-d and ask him to bless us this year. We think of all of the good things that happened over the past year and hope that they will be repeated and multiplied. We think of all of the bad things—or the not so...

The 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on America is almost upon us. Let us stop and reflect on this moment. As Jews, let us also see this moment through the lens of Torah. The 9/11 attacks were proof that there are people who hate us and the freedoms we stand...

We all feel hurt when something we love is taken away from us, especially something that we ourselves worked hard to build. Who could know this better than Moses, who reminds us in this week’s Torah portion how he pleaded with God to allow him to enter the promised...

Remember Mr. Ed, the talking horse of the early 60s sitcom? I think of him every year when Parshat Balak (Numbers 22:2-25:9) rolls around, as it does this week. The chumash Etz Hayim describes Balak as containing “what may be the only comic passage in the Torah,”...

With the High Holy Days 5776 soon upon us, how reflective of their grateful spirit and challenging thrust is this Parasha! The Israelites are taught that re-entering the Promised Land is more than a physical act. At the core of this great adventure is a spiritual...

We are now near the beginning of our annual rereading of Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy. Engaged Jews agree that the Bible presents a clear and distinct message: that there is One God, Creator of all, Who reaches out to all of us, and Who has become known to...

When I lived in Australia I knew a man named Tom. He could be difficult to deal with, but everyone had patience for him because they knew that his shortcomings were not his fault. He had been through the Holocaust. One thing that Tom did that was completely out of...

“…the big and fearful wilderness of fiery snake and scorpion and thirst, where there isn’t any water…” (Deuteronomy 8: 15) “I remember the loving-kindness of your youth, the love of your honeymoon times, when you followed Me in the Wilderness, in a land unsown…” (...

Few Torah readings underscore the limitations of human nature—even those of our greatest leaders—as does Parashat Beha’alotekha (Numbers 8 through 12), read last Shabbat. A literary analysis of chapter 11 especially shows us Moses in all his flawed and very real...

It seems like just yesterday that we were all going to synagogue for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and all of the holy days associated with that time of year. Now, we are past Pesach, headed towards Shavuos, and starting the book of Bamidbar, the book of Numbers. This...

One of the most difficult things a rabbi or cantor has to do is to look into the eyes of a 12-yearold child and tell him that, because of the bar mitzvah date his parents chose two years earlier, his Torah portion will deal with topics such as scaly white skin...

This year, Passover coincides with the 150th anniversary of the conclusion of the fighting in the American Civil War. The sesquicentennial ought to prompt us to reflect on our dual identity as American Jews, on the high cost of freedom, on the lessons to be learned...

In the Haber household there were five questions at the seder. The fifth was the result of my grandfather’s insistence on running his matzah under cold water. Why did Zaidie run his matzah under the tap? He said he liked it better that way. It was easier on his teeth,...

Every week my family and I are blessed to have anywhere between five and 20 guests for Shabbos. These guests come from various backgrounds and levels of observance and everyone knows that they are always welcome to come and enjoy a Shabbos meal. Recently, we had a...

It’s difficult to learn accurate history from the rabbis of the Mishnah and Talmud. “The early Rabbis did not save any historical sources besides the Bible for the biblical or post-biblical periods,” states Hebrew University Professor Moshe Herr. A perfect example of...

Sez who? Sez God, that’s who. That pretty well sums up parshat Mishpatim, the extensive list of laws we read this Shabbat, many of which flesh out instructions that were delivered in the Ten Commandments, the culmination of the previous Torah portion. For example, if...

“Now, when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not guide them by the road towards the Philistines, although that was the shortest; for He said, ‘The people may change their minds when they see war before them, and turn back to Egypt.’ So God made them go round by way...

The two consecutive Parshiyot in the Book of Exodus (Sefer Shemot) of Varea and Bo serve as the most dramatic setting for a contest between two contenders for the divine title. Moses represents the unseen God of Freedom of the enslaved Israelites. In opposition stands...

You remember the old story, right? The evil Syrian Greeks sought to destroy Judaism by outlawing the practice of the mitzvot. The valiant Maccabeean freedom fighters fought back and won a great victory, recapturing Jerusalem and rededicating the holy temple....

The story of the Maccabees has inspired generations of Jews for thousands of years. From the Jews of ancient Israel to the soldiers of the IDF, the incredible bravery and achievements of this small band of guerilla warriors has given hope to the down-trodden and...

We all know the official story of Thanksgiving: the months of hunger prior to the first harvest, the helpful Native Americans, the Pilgrims grateful to have escaped starvation, the beginning of an American tradition. In recent years, we have heard, with increasing...

Noah was not destined to be the father of the Jewish people or founder of our faith. Though the most righteous one in his corrupt generation, he failed to reach out and save human lives besides those of his own family. Thus, the rabbis who were aware of Noah’s...

Listening closely to the reading from the second Torah scroll this past Rosh Hashanah, you would have come across a puzzling reference: “On the first day of the seventh month” (Numbers 29:1)… If this is the New Year, then why isn’t it the first month? Why the seventh...

Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” As Jews, we find it soothing to come together for annual gatherings. Everywhere we turn we have gatherings. What we need, however, is a constant reminder about why...