• The First Supply Chain Crisis

    פרשת חקת / ח’ בתמוז תשפ”ב

    When Miriam died the well stopped giving water. The Jews were unaware that it was due to Miriam that they had water. It reminds us of all the people who are involved in supplying us with our daily needs.

  • Our Leaders are Human

    פרשת חקת / ז’ בתמוז תשפ”ב

    In this week’s portion Moses hits the rock in the wilderness to bring out water. God tells Moses that he did not do as instructed. He should have spoken to the rock. He was punished for this. The fact that the Torah records this is to underline that Moses was human and not a God.

  • Prepare the Next Generation

    פרשת חקת / ו’ בתמוז תשפ”ב

    One of the lessons of this week’s Portion is that Aaron, Miriam and Moses prepared the leadership to come after them. Do not assume that they will learn by osmosis. They need to be educated both in knowledge and in spirit.

  • The American Roots of Israel

    פרשת חקת / ה’ בתמוז תשפ”ב

    When the Vilna Gaon (d. 1797) read the American Constitution, he was convinced that the redemption was beginning. Article 6 states that there be no religious test to hold office in the US. This meant that Jews were full and equal citizens of the country. This was unheard of before then. The Zionist movement can be traced to the Vilna Gaon’s understanding of US Constitution.

  • The US is Not Just Another Country

    פרשת חוקה / ד’ בתמוז תשפ”ב

    The Hebrew translation of the name of the US does not translate as “the United States” but as The Lands of the Agreement”. Hebrew is the only language that translates the US in this way. It is a recognition the US is not just another country but unique in the world with a special mission.

  • The Importance of a Legal Code

    פרשת קרח / ב’ בתמוז תשפ”ב

    The problem that Korach had was that he didn’t understand that we needed a legal code in place before we arrive in the Land. This truth is borne out by the fact that the reason the US was so successful as a country was that there was a legal code in place upon independence.

  • The Problem of Korach

    פרשת קרח / כ”ט בסיון תשפ”ב

    On the face of it Korach seems to have a valid complaint. The truth is that it breaks down when we really look at it. This is the very common among those who seek power for the sake of power. They use democracy to bring their dictatorship.

  • For the Sake of Heaven

    פרשת קרח / כ”ח בסיון תשפ”ב

    The Mishna in Pirkei Avot mentions the difference between a disagreement for the sake of Heaven and for personal ego is the dispute between Shammai & Hillel, for the sake of Heaven, and Korach and his congregation for ego. The difference is that if the dispute is for the sake of Heaven, then they might disagree, but they did not look on their opponents as enemies. Korach and his congregation looked on their opponents as evil.

  • On Becoming a Leader

    פרשת קרח / כ”ז בסיון תשפ”ב

    Korach led a rebellion against Moses based on “equality”. Why should Moses be the leader over all of the Jews? Aren’t we all equal? The answer is that Moses became Moses because he worked on himself. He was not born into leadership. He earned it.

  • The Importance of the Sabbath

    פרשת שלח / כ”ה בסיון תשפ”ב

    This week’s portion includes the admonition about idolatry. This is no accident. Idolatry is trying to make God human. Our goal should be to be Godly. It includes the Sabbath desecrater. Violating the Sabbath is denying that God created the universe.