Rabbi’s Torah Commentary

Two plus two equals four, except when it doesn’t. This pithy thought is my universal corollary to the age-old adage; men are from Mars and women are from Venus. People will see the same event and walk away with radically differing perspectives on what just happened. Of course, in my tradition, this is part of […]

Believe part of what you see and less of what you hear. We know the age-old adage that admonishes folks to investigate matters for themselves. The adage is as true today as it ever was – perhaps even more so today because of the abuse of social media. When I first got to Temple Adath […]

Lori and I are “hooked” on a series we watch on Netflix. “Designated Survivor” depicts the rise of an American President who ascended to office solely because he did not die when the entire Capitol Building blew up at the hands of terrorists. Its episodic themes present (intentionally or unintentionally) an incredibly “both-sided” (and sometimes […]

“God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” This statement troubles people. It has troubled people of faith for thousands of years. What kind of benevolent and loving God would harden Pharaoh’s heart and then condemn him for having a hardened heart? Early on, our sages determined that the problem we face happens because we divorce our sense of […]

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” As Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet struggle over the war between their families; one that forces them to keep their love secret, they espouse a truth of Messianic proportion. As we throw labels onto people, traditions, things — […]

I once dated someone in school. A friend of mine took me aside one day. He told me that dating this woman was like playing with fire. At first, I was alarmed at his thought. I asked him to explain. “She is really strong willed! You won’t win.” I looked back and nodded, but thought […]

The early sage Reish Lakish (3rd century C.E.) wrote, “The days of the righteous die, but they do not die. . . . It does not say “Israel drew near to die,” but “the days of Israel drew near to die.” (Midrash Rabbah) When Jacob’s physical days on earth conclude, Torah’s language is, at best, […]

Omar Khayyam said, “The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.” What we do continues to write and impact the world long after the words vanish from any audibility. […]

The Joseph story is in full swing. He is the second in command of all Egypt. His brothers have come bowing to him, fulfilling the prophecies of his younger dreams. His opportunity for revenge is at hand. The drama is as high as it gets! Then Joseph proves that he is truly a Talmid Chacham – a […]

The legal definition of slander is different that the spiritual one. At law, slander is telling a lie about someone else. The court assesses liability and damages commensurate with the loss that the victim experienced. Truth is an absolute defense to the charge. In the faith world, “evil speech” (lashon ha-rah) refers to sharing information, […]