Light from the Future: Parshas Voeschanan

1. Voeschanan – A City of Two Tales Much of life is spent on running away from pain and negativity. That is a formidable challenge. An even greater challenge is when we confront…
2. Voeschanan – A Jewish Workout Barriers and obstacles were made to be transcended.
3. Voeschanan – A Mitzvah to Appeal When G-d says no, it is not always no. When G-d says no to one person it is not necessarily no to others. G-d wants us to protest His will that we…
4. Voeschanan – A Singular Find Singularity is a virtue in terms of a goal; but the way to reach our goals is best served by authentic diversity.
5. Voeschanan – Body and Soul Some ideologies glorify the soul. Some cultures worship the body. Judaism believes in their synergetic nature.
6. Voeschanan – Darkness and Light Judaism loves paradoxes because they highlight our ability to unite opposites. Expect to find light precisely where it is most dark!
7. Voeschanan – Enough Is Enough Goodness and holiness always manifests itself in two modes. Goodness dispels the darkness of evil and suffering. Goodness also enables us to climb the…
8. Voeschanan – Good, Good and Good Goodness can also be overwhelming. For us to access and fully appreciate goodness we must acquire the power of synthesis
9. Voeschanan – Hold on to Both “Heads” of the Rope We have been conditioned to see the good even in adversity. Judaism wants us to use that recognition as a means to finally eliminate all adversity.
10. Voeschanan – Judaism and Arithmetic: No Adding or Subtracting Egos are strange. Our ego can diminish us by ostensibly getting us to do more.
11. Voeschanan – Kiss the Mezuzah and Wear Your Tefillin Proud To be respected one must do things that are intrinsically worthy of other’s admiration. Objective worth must also be complemented by subjective…
12. Voeschanan – Kosher Chutzpah Chutzpah is a negative trait when I is for selfish reasons. Chutzpah is kosher and even holy when it is for others.
13. Voeschanan – Moses’ Prayer Answered There are two leadership models we should emulate. The first is focused on the people of his time. The other is focused on the future as well.
14. Voeschanan – No More Jealousy A human being is both a social creature and a lover of privacy. Our challenge is to know how to balance these two opposite traits of creating wall of…
15. Voeschanan – Post Tisha B’av Therapy The worst part of alienation is that we become alienated from the realization that we are alienated.
16. Voeschanan – Psalm 83 I'd like to share a snippet of a recent news item sent to me by a reader of our weekly essays that has particular relevance to events that are now…
17. Voeschanan – Shema Meditation Judaism’s most important affirmation sounds deceptively simple. There is one G-d. The Shema is just as much an affirmation of the uniqueness of the…
18. Voeschanan – The Echo-Less Sound of Torah Torah is unique because it is G-d’s only direct communication with every Jew. Nature, although G-d’s creation, can only pick up an echo of His…
19. Voeschanan – The First Commandment The first commandment is G-d’s declaration to all individuals: “I am your very life. And I will ultimately make that reality manifestly clear to the…
20. Voeschanan – Thirteen from One Judaism is obsessed with G-d’s unity. Yet there are 13 Principles of Faith. In truth, all of these 13 emerge from one principle.
21. Voeschanan – Three Prayers in One Prayer for a benefit is laudable. Prayer for self-expression is both soothing and exhilarating Prayer to converse with G-d is the most ideal form of…

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