Torah Thought

This coming Monday, most Americans will celebrate Memorial Day with pilgrimages to malls and outdoor spaces. Shopping and the performance of beginning- of-summer rituals will be the order of the day. But a few of our fellow citizens will reenact the ritual that gave...

“Rabbi Chanina ben Chachinai said: One who is awake at night or goes on the road by himself, and turns his heart to wasteful things, this person is taking his life in his hands.” —Ethics of Our Fathers The above text gives us an important practical lesson: If you are...

The Biblical account of the celebrated Exodus from Egypt became the leitmotif of Rabbinic theology, perceiving in the Israelites’ redemption from a House of Bondage God’s greatness, guidance and goodness. Thus the Shalosh Regalim, the three Pilgrim Festivals of...

The Passover seder is one of the most observed and memorable rituals on the Jewish calendar. What is it that makes the seder so special? After all, it’s the same every year—the same food, the same text, the same mishigas—or so it would seem. In fact, no two seders are...

“No human can see me and live,” said God to Moses. Why might that be? When the Torah was revealed at Mount Sinai and the presence of God descended upon the mountain, the Israelites were repeatedly warned to stay away lest somehow the incredible force of God’s presence...

I know when Purim time comes around that it is a time for joy and silliness —and I enjoy it as much as anybody. However, I also regret that our silliness celebration often masks (pun intended) the fact that Purim is our holiday. What do I mean by that? Purim is the...

“Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, “When you take a census of the Children of Israel according to their numbers, every man shall give Hashem an atonement for his soul when counting them, so that there will not be a plague among them when counting them.” (Exodus 30:11)...

Every winter, the Jewish calendar rolls around to Parshat Terumah, a Torah portion whose every word is devoted to the details of the portable tabernacle that the Israelites will carry from Egypt to the Promised Land. It’s all lengths, widths, and materials: a distinct...

How do Jews fit into God’s plan to civilize the world? If we were chauvinistic, the question would not even arise in our minds. But since we are not, the question “Why did God give the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel, of all people?” gains its force. The...

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...

We rabbis often say that Hanukkah and Christmas have nothing in common except for the coincidence of a December date. I am no longer persuaded of that truism. In America, we love our birthdays. We eat cake, blow out candles, make wishes, receive presents, read corny...

The great and most colorful Joseph saga extends over four Torah portions and 13 chapters! How opportune it is as we celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah and the reading of Joseph’s awesome adventures, that the Jewish experience has often been to find ourselves like...

My teacher, Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, of blessed memory, noted that our prayers on Rosh Hashanah do not include any references to sin or forgiveness. Selichot (penitential prayers) and Viduy (confession) are absent from the liturgy. Yet we know that Rosh...

“What should I do with them in New York?” The year was 1971. I was a 20-something rabbinical student living in Manhattan. That summer I was in charge of a group of 30 teenagers at Camp Ramah in the Poconos. The high point of the summer was to be five days in New York....

Jews first arrived in what is now the United States of America in 1654 — 360 years ago. A small group of Sephardic refugees, fleeing the Inquisition when the Portuguese conquered Brazil from the Dutch, suffered a series of misfortunes and were off-loaded, penniless,...

This week we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot—the commemoration of the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai some 3,500 years ago. The Torah reading in synagogue will be the Ten Commandments (Exodus chapter 20), which were pronounced for the first time on this date, making...

The Talmud (Bava Kammah 50a) speaks about digging pits. It is illegal to dig a pit and leave it uncovered and accessible. If there are any damages, the digger is liable. However, if the person digging the pit donates the pit to the public, he is free of all...

Of the many things at Ohef Sholom Temple of which we are proud, the greatest of them might be the words of the prophet Isaiah inscribed above the Stockley Gardens entrance to our Sanctuary: Our House shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples. This principal...

What does it mean to be holy? What does it mean to be a people that stand for something and represent greatness? What does it mean to be instructed by G-d to be a “Holy nation?” In this week’s Torah portion, Kedoshim, we are instructed to be exactly that. G-d speaks...

For many of us, the Passover seder is our own version of Norman Rockwell’s classic “Thanksgiving” illustration: the family is happily gathered around the dinner table. The gracious and beaming patriarch and matriarch serve sumptuous portions of delicious fare. All is...

By the time this article goes to press, spring will have arrived. Does that mean there will be no more snow? This year, who knows! Does it mean that many of our young people will be already looking ahead to summer camp? Without a doubt! Many of our children “live for...

On January 10, 1992 a shipment of Rubber Duckies was headed from Hong Kong to the United States. There was a terrible storm and 28,800 bath toys were washed overboard. Ten months later, on November 16, Rubber Duckies began to show up on the shores of Alaska. They...

The two consecutive Parshiyot in the Book of Exodus (Sefer Shemot) of Vaera 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...

It is always great to be able to write about one of the greatest and most powerful holidays in our calendar. Given the time of year, I am obviously referring to Chanukah. Some find Chanukah powerful because of the military victory that we recall and yet we also all...

Our generation’s teacher, Abraham Joshua Heschel, was fond of saying that Jews read the Torah the way a suitor reads a love letter from the beloved. We scrutinize it, scan its tiniest details, hoping for an ever-fuller understanding of what our beloved is allowing us...

Almost the entire career of our Father Isaac is recorded in parashat Toledot. It begins, “V’ele toledot Yitschak ben Avraham; Avraham holid et Yitschak.” (“Now, this is the story of Isaac son of Abraham; Abraham sired Isaac.”) Other than his birth and early childhood,...

The title of the parasha, Chaye Sarah, “Sarah’s Life,” is the one where in fact and ironically, both Sarah and Abraham die. How telling of the biblical and Jewish spirit that Sarah’s name is bestowed upon a Torah portion, which includes not only mention of her death,...

We have a nice Sukkot holiday tradition in Judaism, the custom of symbolically inviting seven honored guests, one for each night of the holiday. This tradition is known as “ushpizin,” the Aramaic word for “guests.” Today, in creative Jewish circles, we are witnessing...

Noah was not destined to be the father of the Jewish people as well as 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...

TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israel’s religious services minister, Naftali Bennett, has unveiled a temporary platform for non-Orthodox prayer at Robinson’s Arch, the archaeological site adjacent to the Western Wall plaza used by egalitarian groups. The platform, which will include...

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 drama calling for giving thanks through a heartfelt thanksgiving, to the God who led Israel from the diverse confines of...

LOS ANGELES (JTA)—On Yom Kippur, we ask “Who by fire?” Sadly, this year at Tisha B’Av we already know who—the 19 firefighters who perished in Arizona. “This is as dark a day as I can remember,” Governor Jan Brewer said in a statement. Unknowingly, the governor...