Parasha Insights

This Shabbat, we are going to bless the new month of Elul, that is, the last month of this Jewish year 5785.

There is a fascinating verse in this week's Torah portion, Reah:

You are children of the Lord, your G-d…

The Torah says the custom of many pagans was to cut themselves in demonstration of grief over the death of a loved one. The Torah prohibits this behavior.  There must be limits to grief.

The Talmud, however, adds a second meaning to this commandment: the Torah is saying: Do not splinter yourself into separate groups. This is a prohibition against the Jewish people becoming divided.

One practical example, if a synagogue has a certain tradition of how to pray, one may not come and begin praying in a differ… Read More »

A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night, his mother told him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, "Mama, I don't want to go out there. It's dark."
The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. "You don't have to be afraid of the dark," she explained. "G-d is out there. He'll look after you and protect you."

The little boy looked at his mother hard and asked, "Are you sure he's out there?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He is everywhere, and he is always ready to help you when you need him," she said.

The little boy thought about that for a minute and then went to the back door, cracked it open a little. Peering out into the darkness… Read More »

Natan Sharansky was a mathematician and chess prodigy who gave up a privileged position in Russia to become a Jewish activist in 1973 when he became a refusenik. In 1977, he was arrested and served 9 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement. As a result of international pressure, he was finally released in 1986. He moved to Israel, where, for a period of time, he was a politician.

He was asked to characterize the difference between himself and other Israeli politicians. He answered, “Unlike many Israeli political leaders, I went to jail before serving as a politician.”

This week’s Torah portion, Vaetchanan, relates Moses’ impassioned speech to his people about their history and destiny. The message and nar… Read More »