Our parasha, Mishpatim, contains the ethically-infused mitzvah “mi’devar sheker tirchak” (“Distance yourself from a false matter,” Shemot 23:7). In his Torah … more

The Kotzker Rebbe offered an imaginative scene relating to the Revelation at Mt. Sinai.  While all the Israelites gathered to receive G-d’s words, a group of elitists started to leave in … more

What do you want to be when you grow up?” That was once the standard question to ask an eight- or nine-year-old when trying to make conversation. Somehow, every child had an answer, which … more

Mishpatim is one of the more prolific parshiot in terms of mitzvot. Close to 10 percent of the mitzvot of the Torah are in Mishpatim. What sometimes gets lost in translation is the … more

I am a big of a fan of Menachem Begin. One of the things I most admire about him is his tenacity in serving as opposition in Israeli politics for close to 30 years before becoming Prime Minister … more

The first pasuk of our parasha, Yitro, states, “Now Moshe’ father-in-law, Yitro, the chieftain of Midian, heard all that G-d had done for Moshe and for Israel His … more

A Talmudic passage (Sotah 11a) offers a scenario relating to Pharaoh’s decision to enslave the Israelites and murder their male babies. “Said Rabbi Chiya son of Abba in the name … more

At the recent wedding of the daughter of very old friends, I was enjoying the palpable joy at the tisch when the father of the bride asked me to lead Maariv.  I had a moment of angst as I … more

The concluding section of our parasha, Beshalach, contains the account of our ancestors’ mortal combat with Amalek, the marauding desert tribe that sought to destroy us after our departure from … more

The late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach founded a synagogue in Berkeley during the 1960s in order to reach out to the many young Jews who had drifted away from Jewish tradition. He named it the House of … more