The basic principles upon which we use choice to build a relationship with God.
Joseph would not have made it past one dream in my family! We, too, were a family of dreamers and visionaries. They were also master story tellers. My mother a”h, who could turn a story of starting a fire in Naomi’s kitchen on Erev Pesach into fifteen...
I concluded “A Banquet of Consequences,” with the following questions: Why the dark parts? 1. ‘And it is this that has stood for our ancestors and for us; since it is not [only] one [person or nation] that has stood [against] us to destroy us, but rather...
“Sooner or later we all sit down to a banquet of consequences.” (Robert Louis Stevenson) I find that phrase a perfect description of the Pesach Seder! Some of the “consequences” are more obvious than others: Searching for and then ridding our homes of Chametz is intended to identify...
“There is a certain dull uniformity in human destiny. The course of our lives follows ancient and immutable laws, with an ancient, changeless rhythm. Dreams never come true, and the instant they are shattered, we realize how the greatest joys of our life lie beyond...
I’m back in Rocinante (My Time Machine) and my first stop is 19th century, Concord to pick up Henry David Thoreau. I assumed he was along to interview Joseph. After all, it was he who said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live...
The First Edition of the London Review of Books, the beginning of a long relationship with superb writing of masters with whom I disagree on most important ideas, began with the following paragraph: “Borges has written (and it is certainly true of Borges) that the writer...
Joseph would not have made it past one dream in my family! We, too, were a family of dreamers and visionaries. They were also master story tellers. My mother a”h, who could turn a story of starting a fire in Naomi’s kitchen on Erev Pesach into fifteen...
I can’t read the story of Joseph interpreting the dreams of the Royal Baker and Wine Steward without thinking of Victor Hugo’s, “The Last Day of a Condemned Man.” The baker, hopeful upon hearing the slave’s interpretation of the wine steward’s dream, and observing how so...
The Ohr HaChaim HaKodesh goes one step beyond our description of vision as an entrance to the intellect (https://thefoundationstone.org/countdown-to-chanukah-24-from-eye-to-brain-i/), and speaks of the eye as a Spiritual sense (Devarim 32:10, ‘pupil of his eye’). This is why Rav Abba had the Divine Name in front of...
Obadiah Chapter 1: 1-21 Who was Obadiah? Which nation is Edom, the subject of Obadiah’s prophecy? The sages say that Obadiah is the same man we discussed a few weeks ago in
I left our home in Toronto in 1971 for summer camp, and was surprised to be driven at summer's end to a new home in Baltimore. I didn't know that we were moving. There seemed to be what Richard Russo, in "The Mysteries of Linwood...
Every child is fascinated by the problem of the caterpillar and the butterfly. But most of us, forget these things and become absorbed in matters of consequence. Scientists form one group of individuals in whom childish traits persist: for the adult scientist still wonders about...
Hosea 12:13 – 14:3 Is it Rosh Hashana again? The prophetic selection may not begin on the theme of repentance, but it certainly ends with it. We read the exact text we read on Shabbat Shuvah.
Measured By Dreams: My grandfather, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman zt”l would often say to students who were leaving Yeshiva in order to work: “How did Jacob know that it
He experienced unlimited life and as an astonishing gift, God lifted Abraham above the stars in order to say, "What you experienced was real! You are not limited by the forces of nature or by destiny." Abraham's response was so perfect, that the verse describes God...
I wake up when it is still dark outside, so it was easy to notice the squares of light that were floating around the room. They were scenes from Pip’s dreams. There were pictures of bones floating next to much larger pictures of rib steaks,...
We were close to Israel’s border with Lebanon when we heard a frightening sound. The soldier with us rushed us into a bomb shelter. The sound was a katushya rocket. “The noise is the worst part!” said the soldier. There is a long, scary, whistling...
...or, Why A Plan Is So Important ‘Yehoiada then made a covenant between God and the king and people that they would be God’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. All the people of the land went to the temple of...
J. Accused me of always bagging his books as soon as he had begun to read them. I said, "it's like fishing. I see you've got a bite. I want your line. I want to pull it in." Katherine Mansfield January 30, 1921 ‘Moses came and summoned...
I’ve been waiting for more the two years to write about Jessica Lee’s, Turning: A Memoir, and this week’s Parsha, Beshalach. INFINITE SPACE: I imagined the Children of Israel crossing the Sea and, to describe the experience, using Ms Lee’s epigraph, ‘Around us the illusion of infinite...
By the time I turned the first page of Esmé Weijun Wang’s compelling, “The Collected Schizophrenia’s,” I knew I had to share my initial Biblical DSMII diagnosis of Pharaoh, the purpose of his illness, and my concern over his heightened vulnerability to Covid and the...
There would be nothing more obvious, More tangible, than the present moment. And yet it eludes us completely. All the sadness of life lies in that fact. Milan Kundera ****** “This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the...
“There is a certain dull uniformity in human destiny. The course of our lives follows ancient and immutable laws, with an ancient, changeless rhythm. Dreams never come true, and the instant they are shattered, we realize how the greatest joys of our life lie beyond...
We concluded, The Plan: What’s Next with ‘God demonstrates this very lesson to the magicians themselves. “You may be able to play with nature and secret powers, but you must begin by mastering yourselves or you will collapse.” The people of Egypt understand this, as does Moshe, as...
In, “The Plan: Introduction To Exodus,” we asked, Why were Ten Plagues necessary to free the Children of Israel from Egypt? Why did Pharaoh need to be so thoroughly manipulated? Why did the magicians play such an important role? Why did the average Egyptian citizen have to suffer? Why were...
In the Aeneid, the Roman poet Virgil describes the vast cave inhabited by the god Vulcan and his worker-drones, the Cyclopes. It is here, Virgil defines the lightning bolt of Jupiter as informatum – forged or given shape beneath their hammers. To in-form meant to give a...
The director Fred Schepisi tells a story about the time he invited an oral surgeon to his film class. Dimming the lights, the man tacked to the wall a group of backlit X-rays, different shots of the same mouth, which anyone could see, even in these...
In, “Journeys: The First Step,” we set out to travel with the major Biblical characters. I could tell you that my Time Machine was in the repair shop or, that life, Countdowns to Chanukah and Asarah BiTevet, combined with the Loom channel have distracted me....
In “Balance,” and “David, Yoav & Abner I,” we began to explain David’s opening charge to Solomon from his deathbed, urging him to balance his dual roles as person and king (Be a Man). We’ve seen how David dealt with Abner, but we still must...
We concluded Part One wondering how David’s opening message of balance to Solomon bears on all the instructions that follow. We pay close attention to the way the prophet formats the text, where he places an open space, indicating a new topic, or a closed...
The time has arrived for Joseph to engage his brothers in the debate with Pharaoh (See “Table Talk: Vayeishev” & “Who’s In Charge?”). Pharaoh is testing Joseph who remains confident (“More Than a Feeling”). However, the family will have to master the Ivri approach, to...
“I looked out this morning and the sun was gone Turned on some music to start my day I lost myself in a familiar song I closed my eyes and I slipped away It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling) When I hear that old song they used...
The first meeting between Joseph and Pharaoh is about to begin, and the wine steward felt safe involving himself, however, he also realized that he had to carefully choose his words to ingratiate himself with Pharaoh, even as he was about to hint that Pharaoh...
We posited that Pharaoh and Joseph are engaged in a debate that began with the formation of Adam. Let’s study the text: “Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, ‘Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned...
We have come full circle with the Master of Memory back to his dreams, and his guiding his brothers to restore their relationship with each other and with Jacob, and all the way back to Adam just outside the entrance to the Garden. “Listen to this...
We’ve been rewinding through the family’s history to better understand why things move at Fast Forward. We’re searching to figure out Joseph’s Menu. I believe the key to this story to be the definition of “Hebrews,” the people with whom it was loathsome for the Egyptians...
It all happens so quickly! The brothers confront the Viceroy, ready for war. Joseph reveals himself, tells them to move down to Egypt, a suggestion they accept without hesitation! These brothers listen to their old nemesis in the snap of a finger! They aren’t bothered...
"Before Columbus, the diet of Europeans had remained basically unchanged for tens of thousands of years, based mainly on oats, barley, and wheat. Within a quarter century of his first voyage, the European diet became richer, more varied, and more nutritious. As Roger Schlesinger wrote...
“Good deeds can be shortly stated, but where wrong is done, a wealth of language is needed to hide its deformity (Thucydides).” Wow! Judah's speech to the Egyptian viceroy is certainly a long one. What made him think that the Viceroy would allow him to make...
“Emotions are the most basic form of communication between children & parents (Rav Noach Orloweck).” “And they told him, saying, 'Joseph is still alive,' also that he is ruler over all the land of Egypt; but his heart was full of daggers, for he could not...
“A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart (Johann Wolfgang von Goeth).” How quickly things change! The man in charge of the Viceroy's house confronts the brothers and accuses them of repaying the evil for good, and for stealing the goblet from...
“But Joseph said to them, 'It is just as I have declared to you: you are spies! By this shall you be tested: By Pharaoh's life you will not leave here unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him fetch...
“And he said to them, 'No! But the land's nakedness have you come to see' (Genesis 42:12).” The viceroy of Egypt simply rejects their words. It is a terrible feeling to be ignored, as in, “They could not speak to him peaceably (37:4),” and, as...
“They answered him, 'Not so, my master! For your servants have come to buy food. All of us, sons of one man are we; we are truthful people; your servants have never been spies' (Genesis 42:10–11).” I always find it interesting how easily someone who lies...
“Joseph saw his brothers and he recognized them, but he acted like a stranger towards them and spoke harshly with them. He asked them, 'From where do you come?' And they said, 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.' Joseph recognized his brothers, but...
Transcribed and prepared by Anna Beller: And Shaul smote Amalek at this area, and captured the king Agag of Amalek alive, and all the nation, he destroyed by the sword. Why didn’t he kill Agag? Shaul and the nation had mercy on Agag and on the...
Transcribed and prepared by Anna Beller: You need to picture the story, that it’s not just the battle but you must keep in mind the struggle that’s going on inside Shaul. You must keep this in mind or you won’t understand the story. Again: It’s...
Transcribed and prepared by Anna Beller: Rachamim & Chemlah: “And Samuel said to Saul, it was I whom God sent to anoint you as a king over His nation, over Israel. And now listen to the word of the voice of hashem. So says God the lord...
Transcribed and prepared by Anna Beller: Just when the Jews had crossed the Red Sea with all the great miracles they had the mannah and the bitter waters Amalek attacks them. The passuk says they attacked them at Rephidim. And Rephidim is a name of the...
[caption id="attachment_1770" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Change"][/caption] The family had changed. When the names were listed in Vayigash, the family was divided by mothers: The sons of Leah and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid. The sons of Rachel and then the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid....
Word of Abraham’s miracle quickly spread from city to city. The local authorities appreciated the danger of his revolutionary idea, but were hesitant to confront Abraham, lest they lose as much as did Nimrod. Abraham left Haran, with his wife, servants, flocks and his new followers....
(Dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Yossi H. z"l) I was writing a sermon on the Mishnaic dictum: “Who is wise? He who can see ahead.” I wanted to focus on the idea of being a Boteiach – someone who trusts in God’s commitment to His...
Rabbi Chanina, the deputy High Priest says, “Pray for the welfare of the government, because if people did not fear it, a person would swallow his fellow alive.”
It seems that far more people prefer a short Loom recording to one of these essays. I understand. So, I had to rethink my writing, something I love although not one of my better skills. I remembered once reading of M.F.K. Fisher saying to Ruth Reichl,...
There would be nothing more obvious, More tangible, than the present moment. And yet it eludes us completely. All the sadness of life lies in that fact. Milan Kundera ****** “This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the...
I read each stage of this week’s parsha and I kept thinking of the opening line of Dante’s Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood where the straight way was lost.” “Jacob took an...
Dedicated to Partners In Prayer If one feels death approaching, he is instructed, 'Confess [your sins]!' And they say to him, 'Many confessed [their sins] and died not, and many who have not confessed, died; and as a reward, should you confess, perhaps you will live; and he...
“Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascended; and they saw the God of Israel: under His feet there was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity (Exodus 24:8-9 - sefaria.org)”. Rashi comments on, “...
“He made a feast for all his princes and his servants.” Antoninus gave a feast for Rabbi Judah the Prince. Said Rabbi Judah to him: Cannot you afford a really bright lamp? Antoninus replied: why should I trouble about these? Rabbi Judah the Prince answered: perhaps...
The Anshei Knesset HaGedolah conclude the first Mishna in Avot by teaching, “Strengthen your Torah through constant discussion.” (Chassid Ya’avetz, who does not believe that the Mishna teaches us to “Make a fence around the Torah!”) Who were these people? The Talmud teaches: “Why were they...
The Talmud in Avodah Zarah 2a teaches that, “All the nations of the world will gather before God on the Day of Judgment in a large and mixed crowd. God will instruct them to organize themselves by individual nations so that each may be judged...
You probably can’t see me, but I’m here. My wife and I were on Skype talking to one of her friends, when Debbie walked out of video range for a moment and her friend minimized the screen while I was on it. I’ve...
One of the essays that made Jamaica Kincaid famous was "Charm" about the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm for young black women. "At some point, all this will become extinct. As black people integrate, they won't want to do the special little things that they...
He appeared at the well as a penniless vagabond. Jacob had nothing with him. “My brothers, where are you from?” he asked. I wonder if they reacted to “My brothers” the way I react when a panhandler on the subway begins his pitch with, “Hey!...
Something changed. Abraham sent Eliezer on his mission to find a wife for Isaac, but we never read of Eliezer reporting to his master. In fact, we never read of Abraham or Eliezer again, other than the former's death. It's as if the great patriarch disappeared...
Sarai expected that when her husband, Abram, had a revelation, that her life would drastically change. One day, Abram informed her that they were about to take everything they owned and begin a journey to a destination yet to be determined. “God promised that I...
I was sick for many years. I desperately prayed for healing and for the necessary clarity to understand what God was teaching me through my suffering. My wife and I went from one doctor to another searching for the correct diagnosis. We would silently sit in...
He had never received a communication from God. All he had was a conviction that God exists, One, and All-Powerful. He understood that the idols in his father’s factory were no more than dolls. They had no power. His ideas were dangerous. The entire power...
Dvir Aminolav was the first Israeli soldier killed in the 2008 Gaza War. His mother Dalya missed Dvir, terribly. One night before she went to bed, she said in a loud voice: "G-d, give me a sign, give me a hug from Dvir so that...
Tens of people gathered to pray for the young mother of three who was mortally ill. The tears flowed. Everyone cried to God to save the family from tragedy. They prayed for thirty minutes and left. No one was smiling. It seemed to the rabbi that...
"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing." Blaise Pascal “And God called to Moshe from The Tent of Meeting saying.” Rashi goes to great lengths to describe how God called to Moshe. Calling...
In “Go To Your Room Part One,” we applied Isaiah’s instruction, “Go, my people, enter your chambers, And lock your doors behind you. Hide but a little Until the indignation passes (Isaiah 26:20 - sefaria.org),” to quarantine, the Clouds of Glory, and even the Garden...
“That in those days.” This was one of the occasions on which the ministering angels lodged complaints before the Holy One, Blessed is He, saying: “Sovereign of the Universe, the Sanctuary is destroyed and this wretch sits and makes parties!” God answered them: “set Davies...
I recently had a talk with a different sort of doctor. As he described his frustration dealing with other doctors and insurance companies he spoke of how he deal with patients: “I always call my patients a day or two after I see them to...
Everyone is focused on their walks, jogs, or runs. We do not say more than “Good Morning” to each other, although usually we just nod our heads in greeting. We don’t know each other’s names, but we all have nicknames: There is “Backwards Charlie”, who...
It happened, as I knew it would. We received a hate filled comment to one of our blogs. How sad that such a thing is expected! How frightening that such things are so common that we can laugh and shrug them off! Then again, I prefer...
We have already studied Isaiah’s teaching, “Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?” Because on your fast day You see to your business And oppress all your laborers (58:3 - sefaria.org)!” Please see, “Fasting...
As Rabbi Levi said: Why is a person’s voice not heard during the day in the manner that it is during the night? It is due to the fact that the sound of the sphere of the sun traversing the sky generates noise like the noise...
“Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascended; and they saw the God of Israel: under His feet there was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity (Exodus 24:8-9 - sefaria.org)” We saw in “Fueled By...
My father’s lap, while he sat in his big white Lazy-Boy and taught, was a world all to its own. An exquisite sense of safety in every sense of the word, emotionally, physically, all while exploring different worlds of Torah, science, literature, and all sorts...
Kings 1 Chapter 1: The great King David had become an old man. I grieve to read how this mighty warrior, sage ruler and spiritual leader of generations of souls, is described as weak and so feeble
Moses had seen the Children of Israel at their best when they stood before Sinai and chose to engage in an eternal conversation with God. Moses saw the Children of Israel at their worst when he rushed from Sinai to present God’s gift of the Two...
The Name Without the Reality A student who does not study the appointed themes is not a real student. A mourner who feels no grief when condoling with the bereaved is not a real mourner. An old servant who neither tidies things away nor chatters about family affairs...
“This is the decree of the Torah.” Because Satan and the scoffers ridicule Israel for observing the law of the Parah Adumah, which does not seem to make any sense, God declares, “It is a decree from Me. You have no permission to question it!” My father...
I was all of 16 years old, and was quite confused. I had serious questions about how people use Judaism to relate to God, and I was asked to meet once a week with public school students and answer their questions. It was pouring that night...
“Joshua, son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of the spies of the land, tore their clothes.” (Numbers 14:6) Whose clothes did they tear? The Kotzker explains that they tore the clothes of high position off the backs of the other spies. The first...
"Akavia ben (son of) Mehalalel said, consider three things and you will not come to sin. Know from where you have come, to where you are heading, and before Whom you will give justification and accounting. From where have you come: from a putrid drop...
"Rabbi Chanina the deputy [High] Priest said, pray for the welfare of the government (literally, “the monarchy”), for if not for fear of it, a person would swallow his fellow live." Some people astound me. Rabbi Yosef of Couci, the author of Sefer Mitzvot Hagadol, suffered...
The BNN, The Biblical News Network, is proud to announce that we have been granted the privilege of an exclusive interview with the Cohen Gadol, focusing on his experiences in the Kodesh Hakodashim, The Holy of Holies, over the past 25 years. Rabbi Aronson has agreed...
There is a gentle sleep Where sweet peace dwells, Where quiet rest heals The weary soul’s sorrow. Ernst Koch I am always taken by the powerful contrast between the fiery passion of Nadav and Avihu, which led to their death, and their father, Aaron’s quiet grief and mourning. The man...
“The word of God came to Samuel, saying, “I have regretted that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from Me and has not fulfilled My word!” It aggrieved Samuel and he cried out to God the entire night.” “Samuel went to Ramah;...
“And Daudet said the most foolish thing to me. Perhaps he thought that it might console me. He told me that I would have my memories. But my memories are of no use to me. I told him that I never had any interest in...
“Moses assembles the entire assembly of Israel.” (35:1) Rashi explains that Moshe did not actively assemble the people. He used words to have them gathered. Which words did he use? If he said, “Please assemble”, Rashi would not be making an important point. He still gathered them...
I receive complimentary issues of all sorts of magazines every week and I usually end up feeling as if I live on a different planet. Are there really enough people who buy a $200,000 watch to merit an advertisement? What about $2,000 pants? Private jets?...
“I am consumed by a more general sense of dread, of imprisonment within the dreary world of work and home,” he said in describing why he wanted to talk. We can travel the world, share fascinating experiences, explore the countless avenues of life and still feel...
[caption id="attachment_1939" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Time Bandits"][/caption] He shaved a nanosecond off one note and added it to the next. This underhanded form of theft, known as rubato, is one way that soloists personalize a piece of music. It is a liberty taken with the composer’s...
[caption id="attachment_1737" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Spirituality"][/caption] Pharaoh had a problem. It doesn’t seem too serious, but it has the potential to explode. Moses arrived with Aaron to demand; “Let My people Go!” The people in question are not there. Oh! They set out with Moses and...
[caption id="attachment_1729" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Gratitude"][/caption] What is the first thing you would say about Pharaoh? Would you mention that he was a killer? Or, would you start with the fact that he enslaved an entire nation? The verse introduces Pharaoh by saying, “He did not know...
Jacob was bidding farewell to Joseph and honoring the son’s remarkable accomplishments, but Jacob was still the father and patriarch.
He Ain’t All Bad, Is He? The prophet Obadiah addresses Edom, the descendants of Esau, and says: “If you place your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there – the word of
Most of my students had been taken on the Gehinnom – Hell – tour to scare them into observing all the laws carefully. It was, to say the least, an unpleasant experience for all of them, and it didn’t seem to work. I decided to use...
I was trying to turn right and was waiting for people to finish crossing the street. I considered forcing my way through, after all, it was New York City, but there was a policeman at the corner attempting to direct traffic. Some drivers and pedestrians...
I have a friend who, I believe, is a true Holy person. He is a great teacher, soul-doctor, composer, and human being. I described him as “Holy” in a Tweet, and he laughed it off. I won’t let go. I believe that although he may...
Our Father, Our King, fill our hands from Your blessings. Our Father, Our King, fill our storehouses with abundance. Nan-in, a Japanese Zen master during the Mejii era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full,...
I can’t catch this tiny thing! The computer screen’s light attracts it and it keeps on flying in front of me, and when I wave it away, it flies near my ear to make a tortuous sound. A tiny bug is proving a greater adversary...
The Hubble space telescope has discovered a planet in our galaxy in the process of being devoured by the star that it orbits, according to a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The doomed planet, dubbed WASP-12b, has the highest known surface temperature of any...
“One who sees the Sotah in her shame, shall become a Nazir.” My Rebbi, HaRav Yochanan Zweig, asks how thirty days of being a Nazir is more powerful than watching the Sotah explode? He compares this to people who drive by an accident without stopping...
The sense of wonder that is our sixth sense. And it is the natural religious sense. D.H. Lawrence “Tell me father, why do we dip the Karpas?” “We do it so that you will ask that question.” I never liked that answer. We dip the Karpas just to make our children...
“This primary intuition of the strangeness of it all, of our single selves as unspeakably fragile and brilliant observers of a grandeur for which we have tried through all our generations to find words, this is the experience that seems to me to underlie religion....
“The leaders brought the shoham stones and the stones for the settings of the Ephod and Breastplate.” (35:27) Rashi cites Rabbi Nattan (Bamidbar Rabbah 12:16) who notes that the word “nesiim”, leaders, is spelled without the two yuds that it would normally have. This defective spelling...
My wife refers to my study as “The Cave.” I can’t blame her. It’s in the basement, damp and cold, without any natural light, and is quite crowded. You can understand why my skin turned green when we visited friends in Great Neck and I saw...
“Then he lay down and slept under a rosem-bush, and, behold this! An angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise! Eat!’ (I Kings 19:5)” In verse 2 we read of the “malach” sent by Jezebel. This is a different Malach, an angel of God....
“But as for himself, he went a day’s journey into the wilderness; he came, sat under a rosem-bush, and requested his soul to die; and he said, ‘It is enough! Now, God, take my soul, for I am no better than my forefathers’ (I Kings...
Posted in honor of J.S. who will be studying this text on Shavuot in her quest to discover her Gadlut: “And Manoach prayed to God, and he said, Please God, the man of the Lord whom You sent should please come again to us, and...
“And the woman came and she said to her husband saying, ‘A man of the Lord came to me, and his appearance as the appearance of an angel of the Lord, very awesome. And I did not ask him where he was from and he...
"Now therefore, please be careful, and do not drink fresh wine or old wine and do not eat anything impure. For behold, you will conceive and bear a son, no razor may touch his head, for a Nazir of the Lord, the boy shall be...
“And an Angel of God appeared to the woman, and he said to her, ‘Behold please, that you are barren, and you have not given birth, and you will conceive and bear a son’.” It must have been important for the woman to realize that...
“And there was a man from Tzarah, from the family of Dan, and his name was Manoach, and his wife was barren and had not given birth.” The verse begins as if Manoach is to be the focus of our story. Yet, we will soon...
“They arrived and called out to the gatekeepers of the city and declared to them, saying, ‘We came to the Aramean camp and behold! Not a man or a human sound is there, only the horses are tethered, and the tents are as they were.’ The...
These metzoraim arrived at the edge of the camp; they came to a tent and ate and drank. From it they carried away silver, gold, and garments, and went and hid them; then they returned and went to another tent, carried away from there, and...
They stood up at evening to come to the Aramaean camp and they arrived at the age of the Aramaean camp, and behold! Not a man was there. God had caused Aramaean camp to hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horse, the sound...
“Four men, were metzoraim, outside the gate; each one said to his friend, “why are we sitting here until we die? If we propose to come to the city, there is a famine in the city and we will die there, and if we remain...
Kings II 7:3-20: This selection is one in a series of stories about the king of Israel and the Man of the Lord, both of whom are nameless in these chapters. The theme of the series is voiced by Elisha the prophet,
What did they say just before they constructed the Golden Calf? For this Moshe, the man, we do not know what happened to him. It does not say that we do not know what happened to Moshe, but rather, Moshe, the Man. They did not wonder if...
Rashi on the portion begins by describing the meticulous process that was necessary to produce the oil for the Menorah. The oil had to have the purity of being clear, without sediment.: They would choose olives from the top of the tree that had not grown...
Phaedrus (Plato) speaks of "Four Kinds of Divine Madness": Socrates begins by discussing madness. Madness given as a gift of the "god" provides us with some of the best things we have, and some of the most difficult. There are, in fact, four kinds of divine...
Isaiah 6:1-19: Fueled by success, seized by passion, confident that God blessed him, Uzziah, King of Judah, entered the Temple against the protests of the Kohanim to offer the Ketoret – Incense
[caption id="attachment_1934" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Exactly What it Says"][/caption] There is a war between two clocks in my room. My alarm clock is connected to an atomic clock somewhere that constantly adjusts its time. It has the same time as my cell phone, which also claims...
[caption id="attachment_1774" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Snake Trick"][/caption] A snake! Echoes of the Garden…in a portion about heroic women…something is going on. A snake? Leprosy? All because Moses questioned whether the Jews would believe him. Wasn’t that kind of drastic? It was Miriam’s fault! Moshe’s sister, was a formidable woman. Amram...
[caption id="attachment_1757" align="alignleft" width="292" caption="The Mouth"][/caption] I am fascinated by my grandson’s obsession with his mouth. I bought a pull-toy for him as a Chanukah gift, and he examined every piece with his mouth. Whenever he pulls a book from the shelf, he puts the...
“But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. Now if you say to yourselves, ‘How can we tell that a message is...
“Go, Moshe, and say comforting words to the people; “God speaks to me only in your merit’. This is why we find that God did not speak to Moshe for the 38 years that Israel was in the desert waiting to die.” I believe that this...
“And the sun shone for him (Jacob), [Bereishit 32:32 - sefaria.org]” Rabbi Berachia said, “And for whom did the sun not shine? Therefore, the verse is teaching us that the sun healed Jacob from his wound from the wrestling match, but for all other people,...
“God commanded the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon dry land (Jonah 2:11- sefaria.org).” The pressures of suffering - and tight space (either inside a pregnant fish for Jonah, or in quarantine and limited movement for us) are sufficient to cleanse Israel of our...
For some reason, no one consulted me about which Psalm to add to Chanukah prayers, but I have a few on my mind: This is one choice, Psalm 43: Vindicate me, O God, champion my cause against faithless people; rescue me from the treacherous, dishonest man. 2 For...
Toward the conclusion of Parshat Vayeitzei we discover, according to the Megaleh Amukot, two allusions to the Chanukah story: “Come, then, let us make a pact, you and I, that there may be a witness between you and me.” Thereupon Jacob took a stone (gal) and set...
(The night of the Plague of The Firstborn,) Pharaoh went out into the street and cried out, “In the past you were my slaves. Now you are free people; you exist only as servants of the Holy One Blessed is He. You must sing Hallel...
I had long planned to reread Silvia Townsend Warner’s "Mr. Fortune’s Maggot " for ideas applicable to the portion of Terumah with its plans for the construction of the Tabernacle. (If ever you want to join me envying geniuses who can read a book and...
We concluded, The Plan: What’s Next with ‘God demonstrates this very lesson to the magicians themselves. “You may be able to play with nature and secret powers, but you must begin by mastering yourselves or you will collapse.” The people of Egypt understand this, as does Moshe, as...
In, “The Plan: Introduction To Exodus,” we asked, Why were Ten Plagues necessary to free the Children of Israel from Egypt? Why did Pharaoh need to be so thoroughly manipulated? Why did the magicians play such an important role? Why did the average Egyptian citizen have to suffer? Why were...
There are spaces still to be filled before the map is completed- though these days it’s only in the explored territories that men write, sadly, Here lives monsters (Norman McCraig, Old Maps and New The Isles of the Blessed, Kibu, Hawaiki, Hufaidh, Thule, Fusang, Bermeja, Onaseuse, imaginary lands all, existed on maps,...
Please Note: I try to add a link to every reference. I have yet to figure out how to make it obvious, but until I do (meaning until Debbie shows me how), just click on a title mentioned and you will find the link. Thank you for...
There is a custom to cover the mirrors in a Shiva house. The only internal images I had of me were formed by many childhood pictures kept by Aviva that my sisters sitting Shiva in Baltimore were texting. By the second day of Shiva, my internal image...
“Busy remaking the world, man forgot to remake himself (Andrei Platonov, Nursery of the New Man).” My limited understanding of Platanov, based on “Soul and Other Stories,” is that he understood that the Soviet communists were convinced they could successfully remake the world. Their failure to remake...
How did Jacob get from Canaan to Egypt without GPS? I consider Debbie one of the smartest people I have ever met in my life. Yet, a mysterious obnoxious woman hiding somewhere in our car’s radio treats her like an idiot. We often wonder if this woman...
Our obsession with celebrities is not new. Long ago, Pharaoh understood the need to have the newly freed young man transformed into something bigger than life, before, he placed Joseph over Egypt: ‘And removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph’s hand;...
There are times when Eric Kaplan is the “fun” guide through a maze of thoughtful challenges, such as in, “Does Santa Exist?” Some of his blogs remind me of the more stern professor, such as in yesterday’s, “America, The Land of the Dead.” Then, there are the...
“Listing is a fundamental literary strategy. It occurs constantly, and only occasionally draws attention to itself (William Gass, “I’ve Got A Little List).” One must meet the Lord High Executioner of the Mikado for the Original List. Not to be outdone by Gilbert and Sullivan we have...
Immediately upon moving to New York City from Los Angeles I had to pay attention to all the issues of living in a new city and examine them through the eyes of Halacha. I would step out the door of the brownstone on 79th and usually...
I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of...
One of the innumerable reasons for revering Homer Simpson is that he once coined a memorably pithy definition of fiction. At the end of one episode of The Simpsons the family is shown mulling over the preceding plot-line in an endeavor to discern what lesson...
I can’t read the story of Joseph interpreting the dreams of the Royal Baker and Wine Steward without thinking of Victor Hugo’s, “The Last Day of a Condemned Man.” The baker, hopeful upon hearing the slave’s interpretation of the wine steward’s dream, and observing how so...
I have the great pleasure of regularly studying with incredible people, one of whom suggested that we consider quarantine, and the Siege of Jerusalem/Tenth of Tevet as a “Go To Your Room For A Timeout!” I offer her insights below as an introduction to an important...
“He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life (Bereishit 3:24 - sefaria.org).” “He said: The LORD came from Sinai; He shone upon them from Seir;...
I am considering becoming a curmudgeon for both religious and financial reasons. For those of you who read, “Fasting Training Exercises,” I am not breaking my “fast”; I am considering becoming a temporary curmudgeon. For those who already consider me an ungrateful grouch,...
We took a first look at Isaiah the Prophet (58:3) question, “Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?” Although it is rhetorical, a tool to have Hashem explain what is lacking from our fasting,...
Even Isaiah the Prophet (58:3) asks, “Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?” Does our Fasting on Asarah BiTevet matter? Does it accomplish anything for Israel, for me, for Hashem? The Ramchal (Messilat Yesharim, Chapter 19)...
The Tenth of Tevet is sad enough even before we tack on the eighth and ninth for other reasons. We also learned from the Kuzari that “God Prefers Joy.” I think we all agree that we have had more than enough sad days over the past nine...
Why begin a 30 Day Countdown to a Fast Day, Asarah b’Tevet? Do we not live with expectation the, over the next thirty days, it (and the Eighth and the Ninth) will be transformed into a Festival: As Rav Ḥana bar Bizna said that Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida...
Once we begin studying the battles of Jacob’s life, I naturally consider rereading Nikolai Gogol’s, “The Squabble.” As mentioned in “Jacob’s Chanukah Journey,” I’ve been finding myself trapped in Introductions and Forwards, and Patrick McCabe’s essay reflecting on “The Squabble,” has me stuck in the boxing...
“O my dove, in the cranny of the rocks, Hidden by the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet And your face is comely (Song of Songs 2:14 - sefaria.org).” Rabbi Eliyahu interpreted the verse as referencing...
Countdown to Chanukah 27 - A Good Eye I find it fascinating that although we so honor the miracle of the Menorah oil of the Chanukah story, there is a natural miracle that parallels the oil described in a verse: “The generous man is blessed, For...
It’s a challenge when even Amazon doesn’t carry one. I need a special compass each year to find a magical place called “Kedem” when positioning my Succah. A common Yom Kippur refrain, “Bring us back, O God, toward You, And let us come back; Renew our...
As we read the Historical Background of this week's Haftarah and the story in the Haftarah we cannot fail to notice how often people rise to extraordinary positions and accomplishments, successfully battle evil, only to have them fall and fail just like the wicked people...
In our journey of “Balance,” “David, Yoav & Abner I,” “Part Two,” and, “Part Three,” we’ve been studying David’s opening charge to Solomon urging him to balance his dual roles as person and king (Be a Man). We have watched as Joab battles the king’s...
“And He said, ‘Go forth and stand on the mountain before God; and behold! God is passing, and a great, powerful wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the God; but the God was not in the wind; and after the...
There are contradictions in the Parah Adumah. The Cohen who purifies others becomes impure as he purifies. There are contradictions in the Parah Adumah just as there are contradictions in life. Judaism, torah, nurture our independence. They use our drive to become something to attach us to...
My wife and I met a couple we haven’t seen in more than fourteen years. We, all, were truly happy to see each other, but fourteen years is a huge gap, especially when both couples have been through so much. How do you connect after...
“The world always looks straight ahead, as for me, I turn my gaze inward. I fix it there and keep it busy. Everyone looks in front of him, as for me, I look inside of me.” Michael de Montaigne. I think of the Mishkan, the...
[caption id="attachment_1945" align="alignleft" width="222" caption="A Mini Rocky"][/caption] After spending two years walking with Canadian crutches, and then a walker for a few years, I look at stairs and ramps with all sorts of mixed feelings. I used to look up at even just a few...
[caption id="attachment_1919" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Lion"][/caption] A great debate raged in early 18th century London: Was the lion battled by the Cavalliere Nicolini Grimaldi in the opera "Rinaldo" live, a real beast of the jungle, or was it only an actor in disguise? I often wonder...
Each plague is described as having a different purpose. Blood: 7:17, Frogs 8:6, Lice 8:15, Wild Beasts 8:18, Plague 9:7, Boils 9:11, Hail 9:14 -16. Can you map the steps in the
[caption id="attachment_1741" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Envy"][/caption] Joseph never experienced envy, at least not to the degree his brothers were infected by the green monster. I wonder how he would have handled the experience after everything he suffered because of their envy. I suspect that the Sages were...
As I was growing up, people would describe Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky zt”l as a great Tzaddik, and his cousin, my grandfather, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Ruderman, as a great Torah Sage. After my grandfather passed away, I read an article in L’eylah Magazine by Dr. Joel...
The broken Matzah reminds us that a poor person may not even possess a complete Matzah. He must live with very little. He has nothing. The Matzah itself is a symbol of poverty; it has only the very basics of flour and water. It is fair to...
I find it interesting that we name the part of the Seder when we eat the found Afikoman, Tzafun,” or “Hidden,” rather than “Found.” One of my favorite parts of the Seder is when my children, now older so it’s OK, have failed to find...
“God, your Lord, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring.” (Deuteronomy 30:6) The first letters of “your heart and the heart of your offspring” spell Elul. It only takes one second for a person to change. Change is not a skill reserved for...
Amidst our people here is come The madness of the dance. In every town there now are some Who fall upon a trance. It drives them ever night and day, They scarcely stop for breath, Till some have dropped along the way And some are met by death. So goes a grim ditty...
Clambering up the Cold Mountain path, The Cold Mountain trail goes on and on: The long gorge choked with scree and boulders, The wide creek, the mist-blurred grass. The moss is slippery, though there’s been no rain. The pine sings, but there’s no wind. Who can leap the world’s ties And sit...
"Envy is the religion of the mediocre. It comforts them, it soothes their worries, and finally it rots their souls, allowing them to justify their meanness and their greed until they believe those to be virtues. Such people are convinced that the doors of heaven...
“One can use songs and tunes to ease the burdens of work, even in service of God, just as we see physical laborers often sing to lighten their load (Tiferet Yisrael; Avot 1, Yachin 38). When the verse (Psalms 113 - First Paragraph of Hallel) describes,...
The Chidah reports that he saw the face of the Penei Yehoshua and it was, the Chidah was certain, shining as the face of the Highest Angels. It was so, explained Rav Azulai, because of Rabbi Falk was so committed to study with the purest...
Those of you kind enough to read “The Squabble,” will know that my Time Machine is approaching its seventh decade, presuming my father gave me what was at the time, the newest model. Alas, we have to make frequent stops to recharge, although I do...
“O my dove, in the cranny of the rocks, Hidden by the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet And your face is comely (Song of Songs 2:14 - sefaria.org).” Rabbi Eliyahu interpreted the verse as referencing...
“The climate quickly changed to cold and the trees burst into color, the reds and yellows you can’t believe. It isn’t only color but a glowing, as though the leaves gobbled the light of the autumn sun and then released it slowly. There’s a quality...
“and pierces the windows of the firmament (Shabbat Morning, Blessings of Shema).” [sefaria.org] Rabbeinu Yehudah ben Yakar calls our attention to the following verse to explain the intention of the word pierces: אָ֣ז יִבָּקַ֤ע כַּשַּׁ֙חַר֙ אוֹרֶ֔ךָ וַאֲרֻכָתְךָ֖ מְהֵרָ֣ה תִצְמָ֑ח וְהָלַ֤ךְ לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ צִדְקֶ֔ךָ כְּב֥וֹד יְהוָ֖ה יַאַסְפֶֽךָ׃ “Then shall your...
Zachariah 14:1-21: We reverse much of our reality on Succot. We move from our homes to the security and protection of a booth without a solid roof. Autumn, when much of nature is dying is filled with bursts of
My father zt”l always told me that until I understood what motivated some Japanese during WWII to slice open their stomachs in order to protect their pictures of Emperor Hirohito, would I understand what it means to relate to God as king. I tasted the experience...
Perhaps I was wrong about the plaques. I would definitely hate seeing plaques in the Third Temple, although if one of you, my dear friends, wants to dedicate the Weinberg Holy of Holies, or even better, the Weinberg Foundation Stone, I will be honored! Embarrassed,...
There are some many memorial plaques on the walls of one of the dormitories in the Yeshiva that everyone refers to that wing as “The Morgue”. I understand; “Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!” I shouldn’t complain. You can find 2,000 year old engravings on...
[caption id="attachment_1862" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Pharaoh's Sign"][/caption] We said that it was only at the moment Pharaoh said, “See, there is evil destined for you”, that the blood, Pharaoh saw in the stars, appeared, because. it was only at that moment, when Pharaoh began to bend,...
[caption id="attachment_1858" align="alignleft" width="90" caption="Concern"][/caption] Moses, I care about you. You are like a son to me. I don’t want you to go because, “See, there is evil destined for you!” Ludicrous, isn’t it? Moses and Aaron deliver their warning of the devastation of the locusts. Pharaoh’s...
[caption id="attachment_1733" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Controlling The Future"][/caption] Pharaoh was in trouble. He believed in astrology and the stars spelled his eventual doom. A Jew/Egyptian would be born on a specific day, who would topple the king and destroy Egypt. Pharaoh did what he needed to...
The first mention I can find of the order for lighting the Chanukah candles is in Sefer Tashbetz (Rabbi Shimshon bar Tzadok) where he describes how his Rebbi, the Maharahm (Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg 13th Century) lit his Menorah: The Maharam first lit...
There was no way she would allow people to pray for her precious baby to die! (See ‘An Uncomfortable Conversation: Part One’) She read every newspaper published in Israel from beginning to end. She watched the BNN all day, and listened to the all-news station...
She was incredibly proud that her son had succeeded her husband and was appointed the Kohen Gadol - The High Priest. Most of her friends congratulated her, but her oldest friend asked a strange question: “What are you going to do about all the people...
Ever since Babel we have been wondering about ladders and towers that reach the heavens. The first ladder to heaven didn’t turn out very well. The next one, in Jacob’s dream was awesome, but it was only a dream. The actual ladder does not appear...
Five of us would gather in one of the Yeshiva classrooms and have our own “Minyan.” We were all between six and seven-years-old and could not wait for another lifetime before becoming bar-mitzvah and being the Chazzan in the Yeshiva davening, or prayer service. (We...
Early summer 1945: Britain was broke. Its cities lay in ruins, its citizens were shabbily dressed and its daily food and fuel would be strictly rationed for the next ten years. The world’s richest nation had become its biggest debtor. There were neither the resources...
“Two men, both depressed, are conversing under Brunelleschi’s newly constructed dome. One of them lists a number of traditional remedies for low spirits, wine, music, the company of women, and exercise. But, to these he adds a new remedy; the contemplation of giant hoists of...
God’s voice stopped at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. It seems that what Moshe heard calling to him from the Mishkan was also only an echo. He only heard the actual voice of God when he was inside the Sanctuary. The Voice was...
In, “Journeys: The First Step,” we set out to travel with the major Biblical characters. I could tell you that my Time Machine was in the repair shop or, that life, Countdowns to Chanukah and Asarah BiTevet, combined with the Loom channel have distracted me....
“God commanded the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon dry land (Jonah 2:11- sefaria.org).” The pressures of suffering - and tight space (either inside a pregnant fish for Jonah, or in quarantine and limited movement for us) are sufficient to cleanse Israel of our...
[caption id="attachment_5851" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Collecting Sparks"][/caption]Rabbi Yosef of Coucy reminds us that we were sent into exile for two purposes: 1) To plant seeds of God’s Light everywhere in the world, to become, “A light unto the nations.” 2) To collect the lost souls of...
[/caption]What is our vision for what we will do when we leave this exile? We will look back and realize, just as did King David, that all our struggles in exile served to make us independent and stronger. We declare what we will do with that...
[caption id="attachment_5845" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Showered With Blessings"][/caption]Why do we sing that we are about to begin a new stage in our existence? Why do we declare our commitment to always sing as the Servants of God? Why do we sing of our eternal hope that...
“And who recited this Hallel? The prophets among them ordained that Israel should recite it at every important epoch and at every misfortune — may it not come upon them! and when they are redeemed they recite [in gratitude] for their redemption (Pesachim 117a).” How did...
A palm tree stands in the middle of Rusafa, Born in the West, far from the land of palms. I said to it: How like me you are, far away and in exile, In long separation from family and friends. You have sprung from soil in which you are...
To Whom the Mornings stand for Nights What must the Midnights – be! Emily Dickinson The last time we met Jacob he was saying, “The days of the years of my sojourns have been a hundred and thirty years. Few and bad have been the days of my...
[caption id="attachment_2523" align="alignleft" width="242" caption="With Mixed Emotions"][/caption] When he loses he seeks, when he finds he forgets, when he forgets he loves, when he loves he begins to forget. Yehuda Amichai - A Man in His Life I never cease to be amazed by our ability and need to...