Thank G-d!  The Akeida has a happy ending! You may remember it from Hebrew School. Or maybe you couldn’t wait and you finished the story! At the last minute G-d tells Abraham to stop. (Genesis 22, 10-13) “You passed the test.  Now I know that you fear G-d! And that’s all I ever wanted.” … […]

Hi, … It’s one of the most famous stories in the Torah. And one of the most difficult. The Akeida.  The “Binding of Isaac”. We could spend weeks on it.  Full time.  Not just a minute a day! But here are some thoughts. G-d commands Abraham to bring his son Isaac as an offering. G-d […]

Hi, Mazal Tov! It’s a boy! Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah. (Genesis, 21:1) Isaac represents the Jewish future. … Earlier, Abraham had married Sarah’s servant Hagar. And they had a son, Ishmael. But G-d had told Abraham that Sarah will have a child. And that the Jewish People will come from Isaac. … […]

Hi, Here’s a follow up to yesterday’s Torah Minute. And it takes place in Vienna in 1927. Sigmund Freud writes the following. “Civilization has little to fear from educated people… In them replacement of religious motives for civilized behavior, by other, secular motives, would proceed unobtrusively.” Not quiet what the Rabbi said in Berlin! Picture […]

Hi, There’s one more story about Lot. And unfortunately, it’s on my mind today. We had seen that Lot was hosting two guests. The “people of Sodom” surrounded his home in order to sexually assault them. Lot’s response? Shocking! He went out and pleaded with them.  (Genesis; 4-8) “I beg you… do not act wickedly. […]

Hope you’re having a great day! … Mention the Biblical figure ‘Lot’. The response of many Jews? ‘Who?’ … Which is part of the tragedy of Lot’s life. Lot was Abraham’s nephew. And was influenced by his teachings. When G-d sent Abraham on his mission? Lot was with him. (Genesis; 12:4) It looked like he […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day1 The city of Sodom. A name that goes down in infamy. The people had become morally corrupt. And G-d tells Abraham that He will destroy them. (Genesis; 18:17) … Abraham shows his true greatness. How does he respond to the news? To the destruction of a society that […]

Hope you’re having a great day! … One more thought about circumcision. Many times in Jewish history, our enemies have tried to outlaw circumcision. The Greeks (Chanukah story) made it a capital offense. Circumcision really upset them. Why? Part of it was their obsession with physical beauty and perfection. They admired the “perfect body.” And […]

Hope you’re having a great day! One more thought about the Tower of Babel. As we saw, they said, “Let us make a name for ourselves.” (Genesis 11:4) We suggested that the “us” was the State.  As opposed to the individual. And here’s another idea. Different, but related. They wanted to build this huge tower […]

Hi, Hope you had a great Passover. It’s great to be back! I thought I would discuss something that may remind us of the holiday. Food! … Noah survives the great flood. The work of rebuilding the world begins. And G-d tells Noah some very fundamental moral and spiritual ideas. But among them, we find […]