I’ve been thinking a lot lately about transitions and destinations. Perhaps it’s because in childhood, at precisely this time of year, my friends and I would relish the approach of … more

The parsha of Bamidbar is generally read on the Shabbat before Shavuot, z’man matan torateinu, the time of the giving of our law, the revelation at Sinai. The Sages, believing that nothing … more

Chazal’s name for the fourth book of the Torah is Sefer HaPekudim, the Book of the Counting. Little wonder, then, that it has been given the English title, “Numbers.” The … more

The beginning of parashat Behar focuses on the mitzvah of Shemittah: “And the L-rd spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them: … more

The book of Vayikra draws to a close by outlining the blessings that will follow if the people are faithful to their covenant with G-d. Then it describes the curses that will befall them if they … more

It is a long time since I first heard the term “work-study program,” something designed to assist young adults with limited financial means to achieve a professional education. … more

A story is told of a Jewish man who was riding on the subway reading a newspaper of the Klu Klux Klan. A friend he approached and asked, “Moshe, have you lost your mind? Why are you … more

Dead. Unburied. Abandoned. Forgotten. What can be a worse fate? I once read a very moving novel about the events immediately preceding World War I and the fate of those who were caught up in … more

It was our first masah, our first forced march. We were barely two weeks in the army and Itzik, a sadistic little first sergeant who had made it his mission to break us into soldiers, owned us … more

One of the most celebrated sections of our parasha, Emor, focuses on the moadim. Its 44 pasukim comprise the 23rd chapter of Sefer Vayikra and serve as an encyclopedic presentation of the … more