Category: Jews

  • We Are Still Here

    Lag B’Omer is a festive day throughout the Jewish world. But the truth is we are celebrating that in spite of all their attempts to assimilate the Jews into Roman culture, we are still here as Jews and the Romans do not exist.

  • An Observant Jew is an Observed Jew

    The Torah states that a priest in the Temple has to be unblemished both physically and spiritually. This is because he represents the Jewish people to God and God to the Jewish people.

  • Experience the Seder

    The real message of the Passover Seder is that it is not an intellectual account of the story but an experiential one. We are meant to experience leaving Egypt.

  • Under God’s Guidance

    The Book of Exodus ends with the Pillar of Fire to guide the Jews by night & the pillar of smoke in the day. This is to show the Jews that they are to follow God’s ways throughout their lives.

  • The Ritual Keeps Us

    The reason that we have so much detail in the Torah about building the Tabernacle is that people need ritual in order to remember. As has been observed, more than the Jews have kept Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jews.

  • The Importance of Shabbat

    The Torah stresses that keeping Shabbat is more important that building the Tabernacle. That if we do not keep Shabbat then what is the Tabernacle for?

  • Idolatry is for Children

    When Moses seems to be delayed coming back from Mt. Sinai the Jews build an idol. It seems strange until we remember that they were only recently freed from Egyptian bondage and the only society that they knew was Egyptian.

  • Jewish Unity Defeats All

    The main lesson of Purim is that we are required to have a festive meal with our neighbors, give charity, and give each other gifts. This is to promote Jewish unity. As Rabbi Kook mentions, the Temple will be rebuilt through senseless love.

  • A Lesson in Bad Governance

    The story of Purim tells us that the real danger to the Jewish people is not people who are evil. We can find them easily enough, but of leaders who are venal and corruptible. Without them the evil doers do not have a chance to do evil.

  • Take a Stand

    In the story of the Book of Esther all the action revolves around the fact that Mordechai refuses to bow down to Haman. What frustrated Haman was the opposition of Mordechai. That Mordechai stood against evil.