The Hebrew word kavod is often translated as “honor” or “respect.” But its root literally means weight or heaviness. In…
Two Minutes of Torah
When we say Zichrona Livracha (may her memory be for a blessing), it is like an invitation. We invite parts…
This week’s Haftarah, 1 Samuel 15, confronts us with one of Torah’s most morally fraught commands: the war against Amalek….
For the last week or so, I, along with millions of people all around the globe, have been watching the…
Parashat Mishpatim confronts us with a breathtaking truth: justice is holy work—and it is complicated. The Torah moves from Sinai’s…
It’s funny which memories from our lives rise to the surface when we read Torah. Every time I read Parashat…
This week is Shabbat Shira, the Shabbat in which we read Shirat HaYam, The Song of the Sea. Jewish communities…
If you’ve ever seen the movie The Prince of Egypt, you can probably picture the scene that dramatizes the 10th…
Heavy Heart Parashat Va-eira conveys a lesson that is as theologically challenging as it is personally enlightening. Even before the…
“And a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” Not that he forgot Joseph. Not that he…