1310 essays
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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Voeira – The Frog If we would trace everything in this world to its source, we would realize that there is but one, absolutely one, source to everything. Any appearance of plurality in our source of life is but an illusion created by our doing. Parsha Voeira – The Nameless, Ubiquitous Pharaoh The face expresses one’s inner feelings. When a person shows you their face they are inviting you into their inner space. In Hebrew the word for face-panim is synonymous with the word pnimiyus-which denotes inwardness. When we show someone our face, we are communicating with them. Parsha Voeira – The Ninth Step: Choshech-Darkness – The Last Prerequisite The plague of darkness is by far the most enigmatic plague. It appears not be in order, for it did not cause more harm than the… Parsha Voeira – The Seven Plagues In our attempt to get out of the current exile, we must apply the following lessons that emerge from the first seven plagues: We have to abandon all the false idols that society has given us (plagues one and two); preplace it with truth (plague three); recognize that we are loved by G-d (plagues fou Parsha Voeira – The Seventh Step: Barad-Hail – Bringing It All Inside The plagues are getting more destructive. This seventh plague of hail put an even greater dent in the economy of Egypt as it… Parsha Voeira – The Tenth Step: Makkat Bechorot-The Death of – The Firstborn Preserving Our Elite Faculties The death of the firstborn was obviously the most devastating plague, because it actually killed at least one family member in… Parsha Voeira – The Third Step: Lice – Small Is Big After the first two plagues they were treated to a plague— the plague of lice—that proved impossible for them to replicate unlike… Parsha Voeira – The Sixth Step: Shechin-Boils Tough Love The plague of Boils was the first of the second half of plagues, and it was the first plague to actually afflict their bodies. One… Parsha Voeira – The Three Guarantees How could a loving G-d allow Galus to continue? This question is really a statement. This “question” does not demand a philosophical answer. It wants nothing less than G-d taking us, His children, into His warm embrace. We feel it in our gut that our loving Father will not tolerate any more sufferin Parsha Voeira – Uncircumcised Lips When Moses saw how he was not getting through to the Children of Israel, he attributed this to his own spiritual deficiency. Moses was convinced that it was his fault—due to his “uncircumcised lips;” or a lack of sincerity. G-d, however, assured Moses that he would succeed. Parsha Voeira – The Tomorrow Syndrome “Tomorrow” is the lexicon of exile. The word “tomorrow” should not appear in our vocabulary when it comes to the end of pain and suffering or the end of exile. When we hear someone saying “things will get better, but I don’t want, care, or expect it to happen today” they’ve been infected with Pharao Parsha Voeira – Who Will Be the Aaron’s of Our Generation? As long as the Jewish people believed that Moses was sent by G-d to liberate them, there was no need to perform miracles for Pharaoh. Their faith was so powerful that it could “infect” everybody. The key to Moses’ success in touching Pharaoh’s cruel heart was the faith of the people. When G-d told h Parsha Shmos – Born a Leader G-d’s first encounter with Moses at the burning bush occurred when he was grazing the sheep of his father-in- law Jethro. According to the Midrash, this was G-d’s final test to determine Moses qualification for the job of leader. By showing how he was concerned with every little lamb, giving it what Parsha Shmos – Don’t Forget Your Name When a person or a nation degenerates, but, nevertheless remembers their G-dly essence and are aware of their unique role in G-d’s plan, there is much to salvage. There is hope. Parsha Shmos – A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Tamper with As Jews we must remember that exile conditions, no matter how good – nay, especially when they are good – should never lull us into thinking that we can feel secure living a non-Jewish lifestyle in exile. The longer we delude ourselves that we are just like everyone else and we can prosper indefinit Parsha Shmos – Exodus or Names? One cannot be liberated from bondage, without a sense of self-hood. A person who is not secure with his/her own identity is susceptible to virtually every other influence that imposes itself on the individual. This is not true freedom. We cannot surrender ourselves to G-d’s authority and accept the Parsha Shmos – Give Credit Where Credit Is Due It is impossible to fathom the suffering of good people. We dare not look for rationalizations for their pain and suffering. This will change in the future Messianic Age. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed of the Messianic Age: “You will say on that day, ‘I thank you, G-d, for you were angry with me, and Parsha Shmos – Hijacked! Pharaoh’s diabolical plan was to enlist women to serve as agents in continuing and deepening the exile. Redemption is the power to rebel against any and every power that tells us what to do. It is an inner fortitude that is impervious to all outside influences. Pharaoh therefore enlisted the two mos Parsha Shmos – Hitting Bottom We are living in times that parallel the generation of the Exodus. Many Jews have descended so low, in terms of their Jewish identities and affiliation, that we might think that their situation is hopeless. Are we a hopeless bunch of people who are beyond rehabilitation and spiritual growth? Or are Parsha Shmos – It Depends on the Name Yehudah, which means gratitude, is a name that is associated with Redemption. Only a person who is free from the pressures that come from the outside can truly express sincere gratitude to, and full acceptance, of G-d.