This week’s Torah portion is Mishpatim. Mishpatim means judgements and the parshah contains a collection of rules covering virtually every aspect of human life. Many of the laws have to do with behavior and moral values. The Torah reminds us that we are obligated...
The following is the D’var Torah that I delivered Erev Shabbat: “G-d spoke to Moses saying: “Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him. And these are the gifts that you shall accept...
The fashion conscious people of the world know it to be true: “Clothes make the man.” What we wear has a profound effect not only on how others see us, but on how we see ourselves. I learned this when I was first graduating from Cantorial school. Our first interviews...
This week is Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath during which we read the Song of the Sea from the Torah. This is the moment in the text when the Israelites have finally escaped slavery, and they come upon the Sea of Reeds. Moses holds his staff up and the waters,...
This week's Torah portion contains a rather disturbing verse. In Exodus chapter 35:2 we read: "On six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day, you shall have a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Eternal One; whoever does any work on it shall be put to...