The Big Idea
Never was their a more odd pairing of Torah portions than Behar-Bechukotai.
Never was their a more odd pairing of Torah portions than Behar-Bechukotai.
When I scout out the Torah portion for the week, I must admit that I quietly profess faith that the Parashah will render unto me some deeper insight that meets the moment.
Contrary to popular opinion, I’m rather a fan of the Torah’s bête noire middle child.
I was in my early twenties and visiting a friend in Groningen, a quaint historic city in the northernmost reaches of the Netherlands.
This d’var for Shabbat HaGadol is by Peter Rubenstein. Today is Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath, the Shabbat before the beginning of Passover. This is the sentence with which I started my Bar Mitzvah speech in 1959. Upon reflecting on this particular day over the past 60+ years, I have been impressed with how important […]
Remembering the one year anniversary, or perhaps better put, the ‘yahrtzeit’ of the pandemic calls for solemn reflection.
The images are such stark ones that they have become a staple of our culture. The Golden Calf, the shattered tablets, a people oscillating between orgies of elation and crises of despair.
He doesn’t quite remember how he made it back. His white linen tunic was sullied and torn, his headdress had been lost in the chaos.
We feel the weight of this moment and the long shadow it casts over our hearts.
Everyone, I conclude, should have their own Parsha – one which speaks directly to them.