Live for the Future; Remember the Past Thousands of years ago, when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the first activity done every morning was the separation of a scoopful of ashes from the altar. If you had to assign clothing to the cleric whose job it was to remove those ashes, what would you have […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayikra (Leviticus 1-5) Finding the Spark in a Life of Dark And if a person brings a meal offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil over it and place frankincense upon it. (2:1) Rabbi Noah Weinberg used to ask students, in his Judaism 101 classes, if […]
We complete the book of Exodus this week. Although the mitzvah of building the Mishkan (portable sanctuary) was already given in a previous Parsha, this week’s Torah reading concerns itself with the carrying out of the instructions. Various types of metals, fabrics and other raw materials were generously donated; contributions were encouraged but not mandatory. The response was overwhelming; […]
When viewing a relationship, what indication might an onlooker use to determine if it is robust, vibrant, and has sustainability? Traits such as being a good listener, empathetic, and caring are desirable, perhaps crucial, but even they might not be enough; something else is necessary and this week’s Torah portion tells us what it is-but […]
In addition to the regular Torah reading this week, shuls worldwide will fulfill the mitzvah of reading about Amalek, the nation who attacked the Jewish people when they left Egypt. Some say they were the first nation to attack us after we were triumphantly liberated from 210 years of slavery but that is not entirely […]
The following incident occurred in 12th century France. A person sold tin roofing materials to his neighbor. When the neighbor examined the tin sheets, he discovered a layer of pure silver under the tin coating. The seller claimed the silver was his because the buyer had only intended to purchase a tin sheet; that’s all he […]
If men fight and one strikes his fellow with a stone or a fist…he shall pay for healing. (21:18-19). The Talmud (Berachos 60a) infers from this verse that “permission was given to a doctor to heal.” This is a difficult idea to accept; do we really need an explicit verse in the Torah to let us […]
Jethro, minister of Midian, father in law of Moses, heard all that G-d had done for Moses and for Israel, His people-that G-d had taken Israel out of Egypt. The verse above is followed by others that inform us that Jethro went into the wilderness to meet Moses, whom he had not seen since Moses […]
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this in .1963 in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the sad truth about the history of oppressive nations, with one exception-Egypt. Each year at Passover we […]
Moses said, “This is what G-d has said; At about midnight, I will go out into the midst of Egypt. Every firstborn will die” (Exodus, 11:4-5) Moses relays G-d’s message that the plague of the first-born will happen at midnight. However, he doesn’t say “midnight,” he says “at about midnight.” The Talmud notes this odd choice […]
That is Aaron and Moses…(6:26) Rashi comments that some places Aaron’s name is listed before Moses’ and in other places it places Moses before Aaron; this is done to teach us that they were equal. Rashi’s explanation is difficult to understand because even though Aaron was great, was he really on the level of Moses, […]
This week we begin reading the second book of the Torah, Exodus. The first book, Genesis, covered about 2000 years from the creation of the world until Jacob’s family went to live in Egypt to survive during the famine. They ended up settling there until a paranoia arose in the mind of Pharaoh and other […]
This week’s reading elaborates on the final chapter of Jacob’s life, when his eyesight failed him in his old age. Joseph (Jacob’s son) brought his sons for a final blessing from their grandfather. He moved them towards Jacob, who kissed and hugged them. Joseph then took his sons off of Jacob’s lap, carefully presenting them […]
Imagine a trusted colleague at work with a flawless track record of decision making. If that person brought his father to work one day and ushered him into your office to meet you, what is the first question you would ask him? Put your response on hold as we delve into the most dramatic scene […]
No one in Pharaoh’s inner circle was able to interpret his two disturbing dreams. Joseph’s reputation for interpreting dreams was his ticket out of prison and Pharaoh accepted his explanation. A famine was coming but it would be preceded by seven years of plenty. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried […]
This week’s Parsha begins with the story of Joseph and his brothers. When we look at the first part of Joseph’s life, he appears to be someone who keeps failing. However, when we look more deeply into it, we will see a new perspective on how to define failure and success. If an entrepreneur starts […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayetzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3) Becoming an Entrepreneur of Self This week’s Parsha ends with the pact made by Yaakov (Jacob) and Lavan (Laban) in Gilead. Yaakov and his family left Lavan’s home without telling him, and Lavan pursued and ultimately caught up with them. A formal treaty was made; neither would harm the other […]
The birth and development of two of the most seminal personalities in Jewish consciousness is the subject of this week’s Parsha. And the youths grew up, and Esau was a man who understood hunting, a man of the field, whereas Jacob was a wholesome man, dwelling in tents. (Genesis 25:27) Rashi quoting the Midrash interprets […]
A Jewish Hero: Dignified, Satisfied, and Serene One of the most striking features about Judaism in comparison with, say, Christianity or Islam, is that it is impossible to answer the following question: Who is the central character of the drama of faith? In both of the other Abrahamic monotheisms the answer is obvious. In Judaism, […]
Rabbi O’s weekly Parsha: Vayeira (Genesis 18 Imagine driving late at night on a deserted highway. Your car breaks down, there’s no cell phone reception, you do not have food or water, and there is no sign of civilization. All of the sudden, a car pulls over and a kind-hearted man asks if you need […]
Why Are You Here? This week’s Parsha introduces us to Abraham, the first Jew. G-d told him to leave his native land, birthplace, and his father’s house and go to an unknown land. And G-d said to Abram, “Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land […]
After the flood God makes a covenant with Noah and his family. Although God will eventually make a covenant with the Jewish people at Sinai, He enumerates seven laws not only for Noah and family but also for all non Jews. They are the basis of morality and the foundation of a principled […]
On Yom Kippur we talk about making amends for our past misdeeds. For many people, thinking about the past is a catalyst for guilt. “I am okay now but I feel guilty about my past,” is something I have heard often. But this is a mistaken thought because guilt causes despair; it destroys, prevents rehabilitation, […]
This week’s Parsha contains the poetic parting words of Moses: Listen heavens and I will speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth! (32:1) This verse begins Moses’ farewell song to the People by calling upon the heaven and earth to be witnesses to what he will be saying. He asks the people […]
A High Holidays Business Model I once read a story that I suspect is apocryphal but nevertheless contains a pertinent message for the High Holidays. It took place in Russia one hundred years ago. Two men who had been classmates and close friends in their small town’s Jewish school saw each other in […]
See–I have placed before you today life and good, death and evil… I invoke the heavens and earth today to bear witness against you. I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you may live; you and your offspring. (Deuteronomy 30:15-19) Rashi explains how heaven […]
The following dialogue is from the film Manhattan: Yale: You are so self-righteous, you know. I mean we’re just people. We’re just human beings, you know? You think you’re God. Isaac: I . . . I gotta model myself after someone. Can one mode oneself after G-d? According to classical Jewish wisdom, the answer is […]
In 2012 the wonderful book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg was a trailblazer in explaining how habits that we might not even realize we have can dictate our lives. Habits emerge without our permission and are so powerful because they create neurological cravings, […]
One of the little known mitzvot in the Torah is the prohibition to unnecessarily destroy organic or inorganic matter. This prohibition is learned from the following verse. When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to seize it, do not destroy its trees by swinging an ax against them, for […]