Parshat Ki Teitzei presents a seemingly harsh set of guidelines for inclusion within the Jewish people. Marriage is strictly limited to pedigreed Jews and, additionally,
The ancient pagan residents of Israel practiced widespread sorcery and black magic. Many of these rituals, including witchcraft, wizardry, necromancy and soothsaying, were aimed at
Pinchas is celebrated for his courageous intervention and is lavishly rewarded with priesthood. Indeed, special circumstances call for special measures, and his intrusion into this
Moshe’s initial daring message of redemption went unheeded by the Jewish population. The Torah describes the national state of kotzer ru’ach and avoda kasha; the
While Western civilization views history as evolutionary and open-ended, Judaism views it is cyclical and predetermined. At several points in our tefillah we recite the
Parshat Vayechi launches with the scene of Yaakov’s passing while it concludes with Yosef’s death-bed request. Confident in the ultimate redemption from Egypt, he pleads
Jewish festivals mark watershed moments in our national history. They celebrate both events that advanced our historical mission as well as pivotal moments in
After a gut-wrenching week of tears and grief, Shabbat finally approaches. It is difficult to imagine the sorrow and agony flooding the hearts of the
No human being who ever lived deserved entry into the Land of Israel more than Moshe. He had stoked the redemptive imagination of a band
As early as the late 19th century the question of adapting Tisha B’Av prayer to the dramatic changes in the modern Jewish world emerged. In
During the Second Temple era a terrible and internally divisive struggle raged within the Jewish people. Two students of an early Tana/rabbi named Antignos misunderstood
At the burning bush, Moshe Rabbeinu is tasked with the mission of redeeming the Jewish people from Mitzrayim. As his first encounter with historical mission
