Author Archives: Michal Kohane מיכל כהנא

“Justice, justice shall you pursue”, claims the Torah loudly. And we wonder, once would be enough! Why twice? (or – ??) “צדק, צדק תרדוף”, קוראת התורה בקול. ואנחנו תוהים, פעם אחת מספיק! למה פעמיים? The legalistic system holds within it … Continue reading →

…. but look only to the site that the LORD your God will choose amidst all your tribes as His habitation, to establish His name there. There you are to go…. …. כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר ה’ אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ מִכׇּל־שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֔ם לָשׂ֥וּם אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ … Continue reading →

I am 4-5 years old, trying to catch up with my grandfather’s muddy boots lost in the grass ahead of me as we’re going to water the orange grove he planted long before I was born. Along the way he … Continue reading →

Turns out that I’m doing my Shabbat food shopping at the supermarket in Ariel, in the heart of the Shomron. Having spent too many hours reading too many opinions regarding Ben & Jerry’s last move, I’m pretty shocked to find … Continue reading →

The days before the 9th of Av are somber: once upon a time a glorious Temple stood in Jerusalem. It was destroyed, and the destiny of the Jewish people changed forever. Since then, and because of that, we’ve experienced exile, … Continue reading →

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 →