Rabbi’s Torah Commentary

I struggle with the idea of calling the “10 Commandments”…commandments. The word command has strong connotations. Usually, it refers to “an authoritative order.” A command is something that must be done, and, as such, needs to be unambiguous. First, the “10” represent many sets of “10” in the Torah (actually 613 “commands in total”). The […]

Don Quixote (Man of Lamancha) sang, “Dream the impossible dream … To run where the brave dare not go.” The song never says, “Don’t be afraid.” Of course, we are afraid and unsure. The world continuously presents our search for peace incredible challenges. The news challenges our sense of righteousness. We struggle in interpersonal relationships. […]

I read a piece teaching from the great sage, Rav Avraham Kook. I found it inspiring. As I read it a second time, I found myself dwelling on a seemingly benign piece of grammatical curiosity that ultimately taught the most profound of spiritual truths. I say “spiritual truth,” because it only matters to one who […]

We learn from our histories. We are products of our culture and communities. Where our community teaches us to love and engage, it is second nature for us. It is not an intentional behavior; it is a pre-conditioned one. Where we grow up afraid in society, it too stands as our default behavior. It is […]

New. We begin anew. This week, we start the second book of the Torah – Exodus. We turn a new chapter in the story of our Biblical ancestry. We meet Moses. Moses is a Hebrew, born to the people of Israel at a time when Egypt enslaves Israel and calls for death of all male […]

We have come to the end of the book of Genesis. The Patriarch and Matriarch narratives are over and we move on to a new generation of conversation. As abruptly as the book and story line ends, one has to wonder as to its impact on the rest of the book. Is it simply a […]

While a student in seminary, I taught at the Reform Jewish High School in Cincinnati, Oh. Once a year, I would offer a class entitled “Sex, Murder, Mystery: An Introduction to The Bible.” Teenagers loved the title and had lots of fun in class. We looked at the more salacious stories in scripture to grow […]

Dreams fill the text of this week’s Torah portion, no differently than it did last week’s. Joseph dreams. Pharaoh’s butler and baker dream. Pharaoh dreams. The sages teach us that at night, our souls become slightly detached from our bodies. Every morning, we say a prayer acknowledging that we are again whole (Modeh Ani). Once […]

The magic of Torah rests in its ability to help us understand life through stories and paradigms that span generations and transcend particular stories. Sometimes we can see apparent lessons to discuss, and sometimes they emerge from the processes we bring to the text. Then there are times when the text is (or should be) […]

I am currently attending the Biennial Convention of the Union for Reform Judaism. I always enjoy getting away and getting to see friends and colleagues that I don’t get to see too often. I appreciate the effort and energy that goes into putting on a convention for a few thousand people. I appreciate the thoughtfulness […]