Though Thomas Jefferson was undoubtedly a great intellect and a skilled political leader, I have never been given to carefully dissect his writings in order to discover subtle philosophical nuances and deeply hidden meanings. Usually, for me, only Torah contents are worthy of such scrutiny, for their messages are eternal and relevant for all times, circumstances and every generation - and indeed...
Moshe seemingly interrupts his long oration to the Jewish people about their history and destiny with a surprising review of the year’s calendar holidays. The calendar has always been central to Jewish life and survival. Under the dark regime of Stalin, Soviet Jewry was forbidden from owning or possessing a Jewish calendar. The depths of loyalty of Soviet Jewry, to their inner faith, is...
One of the impossible tasks in human life is undoing the past. Perhaps even more tragic, and even unfair, is judging the past by current norms and standards. Yet no matter what we attempt, the past always rises up to bite us. Since all of us make mistakes in our lifetimes, the past is always a danger to us. In the scheme of things we are always remembered for our past failings rather than for...
Ekev – the word itself and the parsha generally – stresses the cause and effect equation that governs all human and Jewish history. Blessings and sadder events are conditioned on previous human behavior, attitudes and actions. Life eventually teaches us that there is no free lunch. The rabbis stated it succinctly in Avot: “According to the effort and sacrifice, so too will be the...
It should be obvious to all except the most delusional of us that Europe does not like Jews, Judaism, Israel and anything that reminds it of those subjects. Germany almost banned circumcision. They reasoned (?) that since the baby didn’t consent, his civil rights were being violated. But vaccinations are certainly allowed without the baby’s permission, as is enforced school attendance and...
Part of the collateral damage being inflicted upon our current Western democratic society by the loosening of all moral and legal restraints on speech, assembly and sexuality is that there is apparently no longer any meaning to the concepts of shame and disgrace. Unbridled arrogance and inflated personal ego rule the world of politics, religion and public life. A convicted felon serves as one...
This Shabat is Shabat Nachamu, the Shabat that begins for us a cycle of comfort and consolation after the weeks of sadness and mourning over the past tragedies of the Jewish people. These next seven weeks of healing comfort will lead us into the bright, new year that awaits us. In this week’s parsha there is to be found, so to speak, the short course and synopsis of all of Judaism – the Ten...
השבת הזאת היא שבת נחמו, השבת שמתחילה את מחזור הנחמה אחרי שלושה שבועות של עצב ואבל על האסונות שפקדו את העם היהודי בעבר. שבעת שבועות הנחמה יובילו אותנו אל השנה החדשה והמזהירה שמחכה לנו. בפרשת השבוע אפשר למצוא תקציר...
חלק מהנזק הסביבתי שנגרם לחברה הדמוקרטית המערבית מביטול כל המגבלות המוסריות והחוקיות על דיבור, התכנסות ומיניות, הוא שמושגים כמו בושה וחרפה איבדו כל משמעות. יהירות שלוחת רסן ואגו אישי נפוח שולטים בעולם של הפוליטיקה,...
המהפכה האחרונה במצרים, שסילקה את האחים המוסלמים מהשלטון (זמנית?) משקפת את חוסר היציבות המתמשך ואת הסערות שמאפיינות את העולם הערבי. המערב וארצות הברית הופתעו ונדהמו, כרגיל, מאירוע ולא היו מסוגלים להשפיע על...
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