Re’eh

Re’eh exhorts us to clearly see the choices that are laid out before us and to choose the way of blessing. We are commanded to see because without clear vision we may not be able to distinguish between blessing and curse.

Teshuvah in a Plague

You must search and search until you find some good point within you to give you new life and happiness. When you discover the good that is still inside you, you literally swing the scales from guilt to merit…

Vaetchanan Deuteronomy 4:2

This verse expresses a fundamental axiom about the measure of our dedication to God, as told by the prophet Samuel, “listening to God is better than making sacrifices to Him.”

Parashat Eikev: 5 Voices

Please follow the link below to read 5 different commentaries on this week’s parashah by Rabbi Eva Robbins, Rabbi Gershon Schusterman, Rabbi Chaim Tureff, Aliza Lipkin, and Miriam Yerushalmi

My Last Cup of Coffee with A. B. Yehoshua

In January 2020 BC (before COVID) Rabbi Bouskila last met with Israeli author A. B. Yehoshua before his passing on June 14. Rabbi Bouskila recounts his history with the author, including discussions on the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, or the Israel-Diaspora divide.

Consolation, Not Closure

This Shabbat is the second Shabbat of consolation, following Tisha B’Av. We chant from Isaiah 49:14-51:3, wherein the prophet addresses the mourning for the destruction of Zion and concludes with hope for divine comfort.

Seekers of Truth Among the Ruins—Thoughts for the 9th of Av By Rabbi Mordecai Finley

Well-being is within our reach, although many us of may feel unfulfilled or alone.  The need to inflict misery is in our nature, yet we can learn from our teachings.  We study the narratives of the Golden Calf and the Sin of the Spies to remind ourselves of our moral transgressions.  However, sin also includes acting against our authentic nature. 

Why Are There So Many Jewish Lawyers? By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l

At the beginning of the book of Devarim, Moses reviews the history of the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness, starting with the appointment of leaders throughout the people, heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. He continues:

The Aseret HaDibrot

 The Aseret HaDibrot should be understood as a covenant for both a theology and a way of life.  It transcends a halakhic list of laws, to become an educational covenant.

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

In the aftermath of devastating tragedies, readers from Brooklyn, as well as from my community in Maryland and in Virginia, have reached out to ask for a discussion of Divine Justice and what to do when bad things happen to good people.