It is by any standards a strange, almost incomprehensible law. Here it is in the form it appears in Ki Seitzei, this week’s parsha: Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way … more

In Shoftim, Moses speaks about the great institutions of Judaism: courts, judges, officers, kings, priests, Levites and prophets. In the case of the prophet, Moses says in the name of G-d: I … more

Listen to these stories. Behind them lies an extraordinary insight into the nature of Jewish ethics: Story 1. Rabbi Abba used to bind money in his scarf, sling it on his back, and place it at … more

The Torah is a work of wondrous depth and subtlety, so much so that we can easily miss some of its most profound intimations. There is a fine example in this week’s sed-ra , Eikev. It concerns … more

In the last month of his life, Moses gathered the people. He instructed them about the laws they were to keep and reminded them of their history since the Exodus. … more

As we approach the 9th of Av, we recall the tragedies throughout history that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which, according to the Sages, were brought about as a result of sinat chinam , … more

The book of Bamidbar draws to a close this week with an account of the cities of refuge — the six cities (three on each side of the Jordan) set apart as places to which people found innocent of … more

Embedded in this week’s parsha, Pinchas, is one of the great principles of leadership. The context is this: Moses, knowing that he was not destined to lead the next generation across the Jordan … more

The dictionary defines epiphany as “a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization.” … more

There are some, say the Talmud, who acquire their world in an hour and others who lose it in an hour. No example of the latter is more arresting and bewildering than the famous episode in Chukat, … more