What a wonderful parasha this week. Vaetchanan is loaded with magnificent things. The Ten Commandments, the V’ahavta and the Shema are all found in this parasha. Such a sweet week to give a d’var. Sixty-three years ago, this was my bar mitzvah parasha. My bar mitzvah brought so much joy to so many people who […]

Today’s Parsha is Tetzaveh. Tetzaveh means commanded. I could talk to you about how G-d commanded Moses to have the B’nai Yisroel bring pure olive oil to keep the everlasting flame of the Menorah burning in the Mishkan. I could talk to you about the clothing that the Kohanim wore. Almost half of the Parsha […]

What a strange title for this week’s Parsha. Chaye Sarah means “Life of Sarah”. Doesn’t the Parsha deal, among other things with the death of Sarah? And isn’t the most time spent finding a wife for Isaac?Perhaps the Parsha should be titled “Mas Sarah”, Death of Sarah, or “Isaac Gets a Wife”?

Sarah dies at the […]

As we all spend this time together striving to get written and sealed into the Book of Life for a good year, let’s take a few moments to evaluate our acts over the prior year. Can we do better this year?  Did we follow the three-prong test to success? Repentance, prayer and acts of righteousness […]

In Parshat Ki Tisa the Jewish nation is again faced with a test of faith. Moses leaves to receive the Ten Commandments. Rather than prepare themselves spiritually to await this sacred moment, some instead use their time to engage in another activity: the construction of a golden calf. Things get worse when it appears that […]

Have you ever found yourself caught between a rock and a hard place? Well, that’s exactly the dilemma that the fleeing Jews of Egypt found as they made their way toward the promised land. The full might of Egypt was behind them. The sea was in front of them. What to do? 

We are called up […]

Parshat Vayetze is dedicated to the early years of Jacob. It encompasses his decision to leave home and pursue a life away from his family and the trials and tribulations of so doing. We read about his dream of a ladder connecting Heaven and earth. We meet the deceptive Laban and follow Jacob’s twenty years […]

Vayera is one of the most challenging Parshas to understand. It is filled with mysteries from start to finish. Why did Sarah laugh when told that she was about to give birth to a son at age ninety? Why did Abraham advise Avimelech that Sarah was his sister? Why did G-d spare Lot? Why did […]

Parshat Vaetchanan. What an incredible Parsha. My bar Mitzvah Parsha. Okay, that’s not what makes it so incredible. But it was incredible to me to have the opportunity to chant this entire Parsha to a congregation so many years ago.

Vaetchanan means “and I pleaded”. Moses pleaded to G-d to be able to enter the […]

Parshat Balak, to say the least, is a very unusual and interesting Parsha. To summarize briefly, The B’nai Yisroel were having a field day destroying all of their enemies. Balak, king of Moab, feared that he was next. He could have made friends with the Jewish nation by simply offering them food and water during […]