Hanukkah started tonight; so, I thought I would share a thought or two about it. Why did the sages make Hanukkah a holiday? The obvious answer is the two miracles: defeating the Greeks and the oil lasting 8 days. However, we have had other miracles like these that the sages did not turn into holidays: Joshua stopping the sun and the defeat of Cicero two name just two. So why did the sages make a holiday of Hanukkah? The answer … Continue reading
Hanukah begins just as Shabbat is going out. This reminds me of what rabbi Aaron, the rabbi of a shul I prayed at when I was in Jerusalem, said a few years back. He shared how Hanukah is a time of juxtaposition between the individual and the community. I want to take it a step further; I want to talk about the juxtaposition of free will and fate. Now before anyone asks about free will versus haShem (God) being all … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called Toldot (generations in English). Let’s look at what this word, generations, means. Generations implies cycles, and cycles are circles. Each generation is born, lives, and dies. That is its cycle or circle. However, before a generation dies, it creates a new generation, turning the circle into a spiral. I find it strange to call this parsha Generations when most of this parsha talks of one generation and prior parshas have also mentioned lineages … Continue reading
I heard this from a friend of mine, Drew Tik (I mention him because it is always good to name your sources). This week we read about Noah and the flood, followed by the tower of Babel, followed by being introduced to Abram. Why was the tower story put in between the two? Noah, in Hebrew means to rest; so, Noah was a laid back kind of guy. Ok, he did what god told him to do, but outside of … Continue reading
Is it time to write about our weekly parsha (Torah portion) already? It seems like I just wrote one. Ah, yes. This is what happens when we finish our cycle of the Torah and begin again. There really is no time, which means no rest for my Torah thoughts. Such is life. So, here we are, back to the beginning. The parsha is called Breisheit and has many, many meanings. It is normally translated as, “In the beginning.” However it … Continue reading
The Torah really does not have a beginning and an ending. Today (Sunday) is the end of Succot, and on its heals is Simchat Torah which means, “Happiness of Torah.” On Simchat Torah we finish reading the Torah, and start again to read the Torah. We also dance with the Torah and celebrate simultaneous endings and beginnings. If there was only one thing to learn from the Torah, then this cycle would be a circle. However, when you read the … Continue reading
Hello everybody, This Shabbat we read the torah portion (parsha) which is the song that haShem (god) told Moshe (Moses) to teach to the people. As with most songs, this one is very poetic. The parsha is entitled, “My ears,” which is the first significant word in the parsha, and it starts with a request to listen to the words about to come. God is perfect and just, problems come from the children. (Stay with me folks; I know to … Continue reading
Hello and welcome to the days of returning. We are now in the 10 days between Rosh haShanah (head of change in Hebrew) and Yom Kippor (Hebrew for day of atonement. It is also called Yom haKipporim which means: the day like Purim). These 10 days are called days of repentance, however the Hebrew word for repentance, tshuvah, really means an answer or a return. You see, on Rosh haShanah we invoked the beginning of change. Now we are in … Continue reading
Hello everybody, It is almost Rosh haShanah and I wish you were here. 🙂 The parsha (weekly Torah portion) we we are reading this week is called Nitzavim, which is Hebrew for, “To stand,” and the parsha begins with Moshe (Moses) telling us how everyone, from the highest elder, to the wood-cutter and water-carrier is standing today before haShem (god) in order to pass into the covenant and become a nation for god, and have haShem be our god/power. Moshe … Continue reading
The parsha (Torah portion) we read this week is quite a doozy. After being told, in earlier parshas, to remove the inhabitants of the holy land because they behaved poorly, we are now told what will happen to us if we behave poorly. It is not pleasant, but then I am getting ahead of myself. The parsha starts off innocently enough with the description of the ritual of bringing the first fruits to the temple. It then goes on to … Continue reading