Author Archives: Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

Moses is quite shocked when two tribes approach him, and ask to stay on the other, i.e. eastern side of the Jordan. As we almost reach the end of the Book of Numbers (chap 32) and the end of the … Continue reading →

Hidden in our Torah portion, Pinchas, in the long list of the second census, is one of the women of the Torah that became a source for many exceptional midrashim. This comes right after the plague when 24000 died, as … Continue reading →

Unlike the other kings around, Balak, the king of Moav, opts for a different tactic against the Children of Israel: no direct physical war, but a war of words. Sounds familiar?? His full name is “Ben Tzipor”, literally son of … Continue reading →

How do we cope with the unknown? I remember my first days in chaplaincy training in NYC. We asked our supervisor soooo many questions! At some point he said, “Enough”! and added, “questions are a sign of anxiety”. ‘What?!’ I … Continue reading →

It’s interesting to read the leadership challenges Moses and the Children of Israel face during their travels in the desert on the backdrop of current Israeli politics. Or perhaps, witness current politics on the backdrop of the current weekly Torah … Continue reading →

Once a year the High Priest would enter the holy of holies in the Temple, and there, say a prayer for the People of Israel, so we learn in this week’s daf yomi. We might think that he would stay … Continue reading →

Where is the line between complaining and communicating one’s pain? The dictionary defines complaining as “express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something; state that one is suffering from (a pain or other symptom of illness)”, all things that seem “ok” to … Continue reading →

Sunny Wednesday in Haifa. I walk home after hearing some unmistakable “booms”, later to be reported as “nefilot”, literally “falls” and referring to the drop of missiles. I look around, lost in my thoughts, mostly wandering if there are any … Continue reading →

In an unusual effort to be proactive, I started writing this piece earlier, on the morning of Jerusalem Day. I didn’t finish in time before heading out to my day’s activities. ‘It’s ok’, I thought, ‘I’m in a good place … Continue reading →

I haven’t seen him since I left Brooklyn, almost two years ago: “let’s walk and talk, and you can tell me what’s been going on with you; you can begin wherever you want…”, I said excitedly. “Ok, then”… he started … Continue reading →