What Are You Looking at But Not Seeing?
It’s June – the month famous for weddings and for gay pride parades all over the world. June was chosen for “pride” events to commemorate the June 1969 riot at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village – a significant milestone in the gay liberation movement.
Rethinking Immigration: Sh'lach L'cha, A Holistic Approach
The story line is as follows: Chieftains from each tribe are sent to the land of Canaan for forty days to find out what kind of country it is and if the inhabitants are strong or weak. Canaan is full of different people, including the Anakites—giants.
Revolting Developments - Appearances Can Be Misleading
The ongoing turmoil among the Israelites during their protracted desert sojourn reaches its height in this week's Torah portion, with the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their followers.
"He Stood between the Dead and the Living"
In the middle of Parashat Korach comes a short story that I find to be one of the most moving in all of Torah. It arrives unexpectedly in the midst of yet another chilling story of rebellion.
Finding Wholeheartedness in Your Life
In Parashat Noach, Noah is called an, ish tzaddik tamim, a “blameless” or “wholehearted person in his age.” But biblical commentators criticize his conduct, saying he lacked compassion for his fellow man and that he committed incest. What, then, is the meaning of the word tamim?
Thinking before Speaking
People should think before they speak. This is common sense, you might say, but judging from the number of miscommunications and painful verbal exchanges that occur each day, this sense is not so common-even for Mosheh and Aharon in this week's parashah, Chukat.