Torah Commentary

Moses Enters His Own Promised Land

Rabbi Fabian Werbin This week’s Torah portion is Va’etchanan, Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. I invite you, the readers of the Torah text, to momentarily set aside whatever preconceptions...

Vision Check

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Parshat Devarim “Zion shall be redeemed because of her moral justice and her children shall return to her because of her compassionate righteousness”...

Passion and zeal are not the same things

Rabbi Melanie Aron This week’s Torah portion is Pinchas, Numbers 25:10-30:1. Pinchas is the poster child for Jewish zealotry. At the end of last week’s parshah,...

Intermarriage Can Enrich Our Community

Rabbi David Levin Parshat Chukat-Balak As a rabbi, I spend substantial time with interfaith couples. There is an undeniable trend with many Jews finding life partners...

Korach and the Evil Queen

By Rabbi Alison Kobey This week’s Torah portion is Korach, Numbers 16:1 - 18:32. “Mirror, mirror on the wall…” Many of us are familiar with this...

Should Moses Have Sent the Media?

Rabbi Saul Oresky This week’s Torah portion is Shelach Lekha, Numbers 13:1-15:41. Shelach Lekha presents us with a negative model of journalistic responsibility. In Numbers 13,...

The Torah of James Taylor

Rabbi Corey Helfand This week’s Torah portion is Beha’alotecha, Numbers 8:1-12:16. In 1968, James Taylor wrote one of my favorite songs. “Fire and Rain” was a...

God’s Blessing Flows Through Us

Rabbah Arlene Berger This week’s Torah portion is Naso: Numbers 4:21-7:89. Parshat Naso contains some of the most powerful words of our people: Speak to Aaron and...

Ruth’s Redeeming Quality

Rabbi Rachel Hersh The Jewish festival of Shavuot begins this evening at sundown. Of the three pilgrimage festivals, Shavuot often gets less attention, though it...

Only the Lonely

By Rabbi Evan Krame This week’s Torah portion is Bamidbar, Numbers 1:1 - 4:20. Surgeon General Vivek Murtha recently issued an advisory on the public health...