Tag Archives: Torah

Who’s Plan & A Wonderful Meeting

Last summer I had a fabulous opportunity to meet a very dear friend whom I haven’t seen for more than 20 years. As I waited nervously, I looked around at the people passing by, wondering, ‘is that him’ ‘is that’… … Continue reading

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Heading out: on the need to journey

Why did Jacob leave his parents’ home for Haran? Of course, we “know”: he had to run away from Esau, his brother, who was going to kill him for stealing his blessing. But then, there are so many places he … Continue reading

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That Too –

On a bus the other day in Israel. The usual crowd. The usual route. Then someone notices something suspicious. “An Arab!”, he yells out “Get the police!” The dark skinned young man looks around and realizes he’s the one. He … Continue reading

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On Seeing, Flow and More

We open our eyes each morning, and see. But then, if it was so simple, there would be no need to actually command us to do so. Re’e, see, says the Torah in its first word of this week’s section … Continue reading

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Shabbat before Shavu’ot – זמן מתן תורה

It’s a few minutes to Shabbat which will run into a holiday. The cashier at the grocery store wonders if we’re getting extra challah for Memorial Day weekend. We tell her, it happens to also be – Chag Shavuot. Shavuot … Continue reading

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Pesach: A Love Story

“A love story”, this is how a friend of mine defines her journey, and not as many would call her, a “chozeret bitshuva” חוזרת בתשובה, or as I tease, a “born again Jew”. A love story. Pesach perhaps is one … Continue reading

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Shabbat Shira, Shabbat Shalom

When people would approach Abraham Joshua Heschel and ask, how to start “doing more Jewish”, he would say, light Shabbat candles. This was just one the moving anecdotes shared by his daughter, Susana Heschel, a professor of Jewish Studies in … Continue reading

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Why Moses?

Maybe it’s the Torah’s way of warning us how easy it is to go “down”, for within just a few verses, life has changed very dramatically! No longer in the Land of Israel, we’re living in Egypt; no longer a … Continue reading

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Light One Candle II: The Blinding Power of Hatred

How come the brothers didn’t recognize Joseph? On occasion I run into a past student of mine, then in grade school and now a young adult. They obviously have changed, and yet, it doesn’t take long before we go, ‘Oh … Continue reading

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katonti – קטונתי – and Jacob’s split life

A couple of years ago, Israeli dance choreographer Oren Ashkenazi choreographed the beautiful and by now famous dance “Katonti”. The words for the song, sung by Yonatan Raz’el are said to be “from the sources”, min hamekorot. Those “sources” happen … Continue reading

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