Mining The Riches Of The Parsha

One of the most surprising details in this week's Parsha is easy to miss. Moshe doesn't simply tell the tribes of Gad and Reuven to fight alongside the rest of the Jewish people before returning to their own land. He tells them to go as Chalutzim - pioneers at the front of the army, leading the charge and strengthening everyone else's resolve. Why? Because serving the Jewish people means thinking...

This evening we analyze the requirement to not only speak truthfully but meaningfully. We explore the extent to which losing one's temper is harmful to oneself, even when it is justified. And we see the practical application of a not applicable Mitzvah, to make us more careful and less negligent. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct profess...

The tribes of Reuven and Gad asked Moshe for permission to settle east of the Jordan River rather than enter the Land of Israel with the rest of the Jewish people. Moshe reluctantly agreed, but only after insisting on conditions designed to preserve their connection to the nation and to the Land. History tells a sobering story. Those tribes were the first Israelites exiled by Assyria, disappearing...

A year ago, I was convinced AI had little to offer me. I was wrong. Today I use ChatGPT every day, and it consistently helps me think more clearly, and improves my work beyond what I could accomplish on my own. Precisely because it is such a powerful tool, I believe it demands thoughtful and ethical use. In this video I share the three principles that now guide my use of AI: transparency, retainin...

There are people whose cruelty makes us question humanity. But there are also people whose goodness raises an equally profound question. How is it possible for ordinary human beings to show such extraordinary compassion, forgiveness, and selflessness? Today I tell two remarkable stories. One is the ethical commitment of Magen David Adom, whose medics are taught to save every life - including those...

The Torah's response to negligent homicide is remarkably humane. Rather than imposing a fixed prison sentence, it sends the offender to an Ir Miklat - a City of Refuge - where rehabilitation is the goal and release can come unexpectedly with the death of the Kohen Gadol. Yet our Parsha contains a remarkable detail. Rabbi Meir Simchah of Dvinsk explains that for fourteen years, this entire system c...

Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the Israeli rescue operation at Entebbe. Last week, newly released Israeli government documents and cabinet meeting minutes reveal a more complex picture of the deliberations that led to one of Israel's most celebrated military operations. Before anyone knew whether the mission would succeed or fail, another debate was taking place. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef exami...

America turns 250 this week. I love my country, and I worry about it. Like many Americans, I see division, anger, and a growing loss of trust. But I refuse to believe those problems tell the whole story. I love America enough to judge it by its highest ideals, not its lowest moments. This July 4, I reflect on the promise America was built upon - the revolutionary idea that "We the People" could go...

This evening we remember and pay tribute to Aviva Ravel, a regular and beloved part of our group Thursday nights and every morning at our 10@9, who passed away last week. We discuss an insight from Rabbi Meilech Biderman on last week's Torah portion, Balak, gaining a profound lesson from the rebuke of Bilaam's donkey, which all too often could be directed to many of us. We examine when we should a...

Tehillim, the Book of Psalms, is more than a sacred text. It is the language Jews have used for centuries to express fear, hope, gratitude, grief, and faith. No book of Tanach is carried more deeply into the emotional moments of life. Perhaps no chapter is more beloved than Psalm 23. In it, King David describes God as a shepherd - a powerful image first used by Yaakov near the end of his life. Yet...

Everyone remembers the staff that blossomed. After Korach's rebellion, God instructs Moshe to take twelve staffs - one from each tribal leader - and place them in the Mishkan. By morning, only Aharon's staff has blossomed, confirming that the tribe of Levi has been chosen for spiritual leadership. But what happened to the other eleven staffs? Their owners took them home. Those staffs bore the name...

Who greeted you every morning when you arrived at school as a child? For me, and for thousands of students who attended Memphis Hebrew Academy, that person was Mrs. Finkelstein. She smiled. She helped. She made people feel comfortable. Year after year, she was a warm and reassuring presence in the lives of generations of children. After her recent passing, I heard a story that surprised me. As a c...

Charedi society in Israel is not monolithic. It contains many voices, and it is changing in different directions at the same time. But recent acts of violence by Charedi extremists against those enforcing Israeli law have crossed a dangerous line. The issue is no longer simply disagreement about military service, public policy, or the role of Torah study in Israeli society. When protest becomes vi...

On a recent trip to Israel, I visited the family of a fallen soldier. His father spoke openly with me, a complete stranger, about his son, his loss, and his pride. Though his heart was broken, he expressed gratitude for having merited a son who gave his life protecting the people and State of Israel. What he said has stayed with me ever since. Later, I volunteered at Shuva Achim, a rest station fo...

Most people assume that loving their job depends on salary, success, recognition, or the work itself. I have come to believe that something else matters even more. Moshe receives a remarkable title from God: Avdi Moshe - "Moshe, My servant." Rabbi Yaakov Sikili explains that Moshe earned this distinction in Parshat Shmini. When a halachic dispute arose between Moshe and Aaron, Moshe realized Aaron...

This evening we trace two approaches to living a moral and holy life, so that a person who chooses to become a Nazir - prohibiting for themself otherwise permitted pleasures - is both praised and criticized. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks helps us understand how both can be true, and which is best for us. Rabbi Moshe Alshech helps us understand the convoluted wording concerning Birchat Kohanin, the Priestly...

T.S. Eliot once wrote: “There is only the trying; the rest is not our business.” This moving story tells of a high school teacher who refused to give up on a struggling student. Week after week, he made calls that seemed to go unanswered and unnoticed. Eventually, he assumed the effort had failed. Years later, he discovered he was completely wrong. Sometimes we never see the impact of our kindness...

A long and repetitive section of this week’s Parsha can feel unnecessary at first. But beneath the repetition is a careful exploration of leadership - when it works, when it doesn’t, and how it is repaired. A subtle inconsistency in the text leads Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried to a striking suggestion: Nachshon, one of the central leaders, is mentioned without his title. Not because it was overlooked - b...

We called my grandmother “Skip,” though her name was Rose Margolin. She was strong - but not in a way that drew attention. She expected a great deal of us, and even more from herself, and that shaped the atmosphere around her more than anything she ever said. On her Yartzeit, I remember her many quiet unrecognized acts of kindness, as well as her concern for our upbringing and proper comportment:...

My Semicha (rabbinic ordination) gave me the ability to learn Torah at a high level - a gift I rely on every day. But when I began working as a rabbi, I discovered something I hadn’t expected: I didn’t actually know how to be a rabbi. Not how to lead a community. Not how to make real-world decisions. Not how to carry responsibility for other people’s lives. Those are not things I learned in our Be...

Every community eventually faces moments of confusion and controversy. Recently, in Montreal, Kashrut has become one of those moments. And beneath the details, a deeper question emerges: who should we rely on when it comes to Kosher? Social media creates the illusion that everyone is an expert, and that every issue must be debated publicly. It may give us information - but not necessarily judgment...

Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik, known simply as the Rav, was one of the greatest Torah teachers of the modern era. I had the privilege to hear him teach in person - and I was also there when his failing health began to take from him his most extraordinary gift: his precise, lyrical, and commanding voice. I still remember the moment he tried to speak - and could not. And yet, the Rav never stopped teachi...

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman’s new book "Echoes of Egypt" opens with a remarkable claim about the Torah’s vision of society. In the ancient world - especially in Egypt - power flowed in one direction. Kings stood at the top, and everyone else existed beneath them. Access to dignity, to justice, even to the divine, was controlled by a small elite. Then the Torah appeared - and quietly overturned the ent...

Last week I had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Herschel Schachter, one of the foremost authorities in Jewish law. And yet, we call him a Talmid Chacham - not just a Torah scholar, but a student of a scholar. For anyone who wants to grow in Torah, that may be the starting point: never stop being a student. At last week’s Rabbinical Council of America convention, Rabbi Schachter returned to the Mish...

Today is Yom Yerushalayim - the day we celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, and the enduring pull of a city that has never stopped calling to us. According to a well-known tradition, Jerusalem was built on the site of a quiet act of brotherly love. Long before it became a place people argue about, it was a place where people reached toward one another. Its very name carries that tensi...