Happiness is associated with taking, while meaning is associated with giving. Meaning is what gives us a sense of purpose in life. While happiness is “in the present”, meaning is in the past, present, and future.
DetailsRabbi Ruditsky addresses the concepts of sacred time and sacred space in Vayakhel-Pekudei, represented by the completion of the Mishkan for God to be present, and the mitzvah of observing Shabbat – a holy time coinciding with a holy space.
DetailsRabbi Buchwald addresses insights regarding the Tabernacle, as addressed in Truman, Tetzaveh, Vayakhel, Pekudei, and part of Ki Tessa. He cites Moses Mendelssohn, who wrote about the full array of human creativity, craftsmanship, and skills involved in the building of the Tabernacle, without which no community can survive.
DetailsOne of the most famous phrases in the Torah makes its appearance in this week’s parsha. It has often been used to characterise Jewish faith as a whole.
DetailsThe Purim story is relevant to American Jews today in the themes of charges of dual loyalty, and marriage outside of Judaism. Contemporary political leaders continue to argue that Jews can’t be trusted if they are loyal to Israel and the threat of assimilation is ongoing.
DetailsRabbi Ruditsky cites Rabbi Sacks in his article, stating that the Jews received their Law before their land. Therefore, when they lost their land, they retained their identity. Rabbi Ruditsky develops the concept by discussing the meaning of “a holy nation”, observing that “being holy” doesn’t mean “being perfect”, but about behavior ongoing.
DetailsThe reader typically is awestruck by the appearance of the Angel in the heart of the fire, and the Voice of God being revealed to Moses. From that voice comes Moses’s life’s purpose. In God’s commanding Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, all the strands of Moses’s painful past are tied into a cord
DetailsRabbi Ruditsky compares ya’shir — they will sing — to ya’shar — they will go straight. From this, he derives the concept that the Israelites will look forward to tomorrow, seeing their freedom directly in front of them. The Song of the Sea is about tomorrow. The parashah doesn’t promise that there will never be another Pharaoh, nor that the world will be free from hatred, but it teaches that we should look forward, not backward.
DetailsRabbi Cantor Robbins describes the spiritual depth of Tu B’Shevat, from the linguistic perspective of “15”, the Name of God, and the concept of the Tree of Life.
DetailsRefael Kramer references Likutei Halachot, Tolaiim 4, in comparing Beshelach to Rabbi Nachman’s story of The Queen’s Daughter, who escaped the unwelcome attentions of an evil suitor by entering a castle of water.
DetailsRabbi Simmons references the Stockholm Syndrome, as it applies to the Israelites under Pharaoh.
DetailsRabbi Brous writes about the Slave Bible, originally published in 1807, wherein every reference to the Exodus from Egypt was redacted. The purpose of this text was to introduce slaves to Christianity while simultaneously preserving the system of slavery.
DetailsIn the Torah, both good and bad deeds come from the heart. In contrast, Pharaoh considered himself a god in his heart, with the right to decide life and death. Yet Pharaoh made the very human choice to be led by his yetzer harah.
DetailsAn inherent tension exists between justice and good in the patriarchs. For instance, Abraham argued with God against the killing of everyone, both good and wicked, in Sodom and Gomorrah. Moses, in contrast, used both force and collective punishment to succeed in his mission of creating a holy nation. A similar ethical tension exists in modern Israel, in their relations with the Palestinians.
DetailsRabbi Sacks, z”l, observes that while you need an army to defend a country, you need education to defend a civilization. Furthermore, freedom is lost when it is taken for granted. The Torah emphasizes that children must ask questions. This is further incorporated into the Passover Hagaddah, which is tailored to not only answer questions from different mindsets, but also to education when the child does not know how to ask. In Judaism, we do not believe in blind obedience, but rather in questioning.
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