This week we take a break from our regularly scheduled parsha (weekly Torah reading) and read about Pesach (Passover). Last year I shared some insights on Passover and you can read them here. This year I want to share a story. It takes place a few hundred years ago in a small town in Russia. It was your usual Jewish village with a rabbi and a couple of beggars, lots of children and poor people, and a wealthy miser. This … Continue reading
We start this week’s parsha (Torah portion) with Moshe (Moses) being told by haShem (god) to come to Pharaoh. What a strange request! This however is the launching point for a wild exploration of the relationship between Moshe, haShem, and Pharaoh. Before I get into it, I want to give a quick overview of the parsha so we are all on the same page. As I said the parsha starts with haShem telling Moshe to come to Pharaoh. He also … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (weekly torah portion) is yet another double parsha, and it is a strange one. Nevertheless, it is one I like because it also gives us some hope and gives us some answers; it is a parsha for everybody. The beginning of the parsha is what I would show to anyone who thinks that the Torah is not pro-environment, for it talks about resting the land and it talks about human rights and welfare. For the people concerned … Continue reading