Rabbi's Message

9 Kislev November 29, 2025 In this week’s Torah portion, we read Jacob’s heartfelt supplication to the Almighty. In his prayer, he declared, “I have been humbled by all Your kindnesses and by all Your truth” (Genesis 32:11). The phrase “all Your kindnesses” is readily understood, for G-d had indeed bestowed numerous mercies upon him. However, the phrase “all Your truth” requires examination. Can truth be pluralized? Is there such a thing as a half-truth, or is truth

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayetze, Jacob makes two pivotal journeys. In the first, he is entirely solitary. In the second, he is surrounded by a large family. Yet, in both instances, he is vulnerable, exposed, and seemingly alone. The first journey took Jacob from his parents’ home in Canaan to Haran, where his uncle Laban lived. Jacob had just outwitted his brother, Esau, securing the blessings his father had intended for the firstborn. When their mother overheard Esau p

Rebecca’s painful pregnancy led her to consult a prophet, who revealed she carried twin ‘giants’ (ge’im) as the Torah describes them. From these two, the sages prophesied, would emerge two brilliant gems: Rebbe and Antoninus (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 11a). Antoninus was a Roman emperor in the late second century, often mentioned in the Talmud due to his friendship with Rabbi Yehudah, who later became known simply as ‘Rebbe.’ As chief rabbi and prince of the Jewish people under Ro

This week’s Torah portion recounts the first courtship and marriage in the Torah—that of Isaac and Rebecca. The negotiations were conducted between Betuel, Rebecca’s father, and Eliezer, Abraham’s trusted servant. Only after the families reached an agreement did the couple meet. A tragic event followed these negotiations: Betuel, Rebecca’s father, suddenly died in his sleep. Eliezer believed the deal was concluded and went to bed, expecting to depart the next morning with Reb

The people of Sodom were known for their cruelty. They barred wayfarers from entering their city. If anyone dared to host a visitor overnight, both the visitor and the host faced punishment. In one shocking incident, they tortured and murdered a young girl simply for feeding a passerby. If a poor person entered their oasis seeking alms, they wouldn’t just turn him away; they would harass and torture him first. Yet, when G-d informed Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom a

3 Cheshvan October 25, 2025 The nineteen sixties will forever be associated with the hippie movement; the thrust to break free of the shackles of morality. The argument that all pleasure is healthy and that puritanical restraint is toxic is a product of the sixties. It was a time of unrestrained hedonism and the unraveling of decorum. With it came the unbuckling of societal order and the social structure. The theory was that if a little

A man once petitioned Rabbi Nosson of Breslov for a blessing to find his match. He complained that he had been seeking the right woman for many years and had still not found her. Rabbi Nosson discerned that he was slipping into despair, so he encouraged him, saying, Have hope, young man, remember that Jacob our patriarch was eighty-four by the time he was married. The man retorted that he can’t be compared to Jacob. Jacob was a holy man and could be expected to endure. Plus,

As I write this on Thursday morning, it appears that the hostage exchange will at least begin before Monday evening, the commencement of the Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah holiday. It is hoped that all the living hostages will have been returned by then in a single wave. The bodies of the deceased hostages are slated to follow, and we pray they are all released promptly. This is the most joyful news since this terrible ordeal began on Simchat Torah two years ago. It is horri

11 Tishrei October 3, 2025 When you think of the Sukkah, you think of walls and sechach—a foliage roof. Yet, the name...

G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like flames” (Jeremiah 23:29). Flames don’t burn unless they have fuel to consume. The same is true of G-d’s words. “For G-d your G-d is a consuming flame” (Deuteronomy 4:24). His flame requires a wick and fuel to burn. Without fuel, it expires. Can you imagine what happens when G-d’s flame runs out of fuel? His continual act of creation grows weaker u

Minutes of formal meetings always end with a list of actionable items. Committees love to talk and to hear themselves talk, but if the discussions don’t produce actionable items, they are not useful. The same is true about love. Loving someone in theory or loving the idea of someone is not the same as loving in real life. If our love is romantic, we love being in love. If our love is actionable, we love a real person and our love is real. If our love doesn’t find expression i

This week, we make a dramatic declaration in our Torah reading: “You have singled out G-d . . . and G-d has singled you out” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18). On the surface, this means we singled out G-d to be our master, and He singled us out to be His people. Our sages (Berachot 6a) took it a step further. “You made me a single block in the world, and I will make you a single block in the world.” We understand the idea that G-d is a single block in the world. He is the only G-d and

When You Are on Your Own We humans are social creatures; we are not designed to live alone. We prefer companionship, connection, and emotional engagement. However, sometimes we shy away from community because we feel a need for alone time. These withdrawals are understandable, but they are also dangerous. There is strength in numbers, and we are vulnerable when we are alone. I am not referring to physical vulnerability, although that is often the case as well. When we walk in

A good friend recently lost his father. I meant to call him as soon as I heard, but he was sitting Shivah in Mexico. So, I told myself I would call him after Shivah. A week passed, and I was going to call him that day, but I developed a fever and wasn’t feeling well. So, I told myself I would call him next week. A week passed, and so did the fever, and I was going to call him. But so much work piled up that I forgot all about it, and besides, I wouldn’t have had time to make

Every year, on the last Shabbat before Elul—the final month of the year, we read a Torah portion that begins with the word reeh—see. The passage reads, “See, I set before you a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that you fulfill the commandments of G-d your G-d that I command you today. The curse is if you don’t fulfill the commandments . . .” (Deuteronomy 11:26–28). The word “see” stands out as superfluous. The message can be easily transmitted without the preface, “see.”

Rain doesn’t fall often in Israel. There is a rainy season that feeds the river, tributaries, and the lake, but rain isn’t always in plentiful supply. Some years, the rains are minimal, and the country suffers. The Torah (Deuteronomy 11:11) characterizes Israel as a place where rain is the sole source of our drinking water. Israel has an intimate relationship with rain. People are constantly checking the forecast and calculating the water levels because rain is the only real

10 Av August 4, 2025 The Torah portion we read this week discusses Moses pleading for his life five hundred and fifteen times before G-d told him to stop because his plea would not be granted (Deuteronomy 3:23–26). The Midrash (Tanchuma, Vaetchanan Chapter 6) relates that Moses begged the angels in charge of the heaven and earth, the stars and planets, the mountains and hills to plead his case, but they all turned him down. H

Suffering is sadly familiar to Jews. We have a long and painful history of suffering. Our sages taught that the Torah was given on Mount Sinai because Sinai is etymologically similar to sinah, which means hatred. From the day that we were chosen to become a light unto the nations, the nations responded to us with hatred.[1] The first to hate a Jew was Esau. When Jacob received his brother’s blessings, Esau responded with hatred and wanted to kill him. What did Jacob do? He fl

This week we will read a combined Torah portion. The first is called Matot, the second is called Masei. Matot, at least in the context of this passage, means tribes. But mateh also means a stick. Matot means sticks, plural. Masei means journeys. The Torah delineates the forty-two journeys our ancestors took during their forty years in the desert. Sticks and journeys. On the surface, they are unrelated, and perhaps even opposites. A stick is firm and unyielding. Journeys are a

I was walking with a friend, one Shabbat, and as we reached the crosswalk, he bent to push the button to stop the traffic. I reminded him it was Shabbat, when we don’t use electronics. Instead, I suggested we relax patiently and chat until the light changes. It was Shabbat after all. We were not in a rush. He pulled back instantly, but then asked how I could remember every detail related to Shabbat. There are literally hundreds of dos and don’ts and keeping them all straight