Something remarkable happens in this week’s parsha, Nitzavim, that changed the very terms of Jewish existence, and has life-changing implications for all of us. Moses renewed the … more

The setting: Jerusalem some twenty centuries ago. The occasion: bringing first fruits to the Temple. Here is the scene as the Mishnah describes it. Throughout Israel, villagers would gather in … more

Ki Seitzei is about relationships: between men and women, parents and children, employers and employees, lenders and borrowers. Strikingly, though, it is also about relationships between humans … more

In the course of setting out the laws of war, the Torah adds a seemingly minor detail that became the basis of a much wider field of human responsibility, and is of major consequence … more

Imagine the following scenario. You are 119 years old. The end of your life is in sight. You have been told by G-d that you will not enter the land to which you have been leading your people for … more

The Israelites were almost within sight of the Promised Land. They had successfully waged their first battles. They had just won a victory over the Midianites. There is a new tone to the … more

In Parashat Pinchas, Moshe was in sight of the Angel of Death. Miriam had died. So had Aaron. G-d had told him “You too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was” … more

This is an extraordinary moment in Jewish history, for good and not-so-good reasons. For the first time in almost 4,000 years we have simultaneously sovereignty and independence in the land and state … more

It is a scene that still has the power to shock and disturb. The people complain. There is no water. It is an old complaint and a predictable one. That is what happens in a desert. Moshe should have … more

The Korach rebellion was not just the worst of the revolts from the wilderness years. It was also a direct assault on Moshe and Aaron. Korach and his fellow rebels in essence accused Moshe of … more