And an angel of the Lord called to him from the skies and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “I’m here.” And he said, “Don’t put your hand out toward the boy and don’t do anything to him, because now I know that you fear God.” Genesis 22:12 The Torah Portion Vayera’s polemic against childContinue reading “Culture Collision: Vayera”
Tag Archives: bible
A Father’s Plan: A Lech Lecha Ten Commandments’ Moment?
The Lech Lecha Torah Portion cannot be read in isolation. Immediately prior to it, the Torah passages provide a contextual dimension to Abraham. These pre-Lech Lecha facts are often not addressed in extra-biblical renditions of the story. They may, however, reveal Lech Lecha’s Ten Commandments’ connection like other Book of Genesis passages. Before “Lech Lecha”,Continue reading “A Father’s Plan: A Lech Lecha Ten Commandments’ Moment?”
Seven? Noah’s Ten Commandments’ Moment
Before the Ten Commandments, there were the Seven Noahide laws. We learn of them in the Torah Portion Noah. The Portion Noah richly chronicles the tale of the famous ark builder and animal wrangler. The passages include the famous flood story, a dove with an olive branch, and an amazing rainbow. The rainbow, in thatContinue reading “Seven? Noah’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”
In The Beginning, There Was Separation: Breisheit’s Ten Commandments’ Moment
Most recently, the “work ethic” value is on life support. Societal figures along with their social policy agenda are standing at the bedside in the ICU of the long held belief. There appears to be some excitement to finally pull the plug on this ancient core value. The signs of the decline is evidenced byContinue reading “In The Beginning, There Was Separation: Breisheit’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”
David (Wolpe) on David: Review & Critique
In those days there was no king in Israel, every man did what was right in his eyes Judges 17:6 There are two types of educational books. One can teach you on a foreign topic while the other can inspire you to think. David Wolpe’s David The Divided Heart is one of the latter. ItContinue reading “David (Wolpe) on David: Review & Critique”
A Very Ten Commandments’ Moment: This Sukkot’s Saturday Torah Portion
An epic Ten Commandments’ moment occurred in last Saturday’s Sukkot Torah Portion reading. While the entire Portion is an essential scriptural read (Exodus 33:12-34:26), there is one revealing Decalogue-related passage. Words Alone? Is the Ten Commandments just simply about the words? Or, is there something about the commandments that is beyond the words? The SukkotContinue reading “A Very Ten Commandments’ Moment: This Sukkot’s Saturday Torah Portion”
A Mensch’s Day Off?
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, offers the universal message of humility. On a day meant for the garden variety sinner, the day of reflection perhaps is strikingly different for the mensch. Who is a Mensch? According to The New Joys of Yiddish, a mensch is a human being; an upright, honorable, decent person; orContinue reading “A Mensch’s Day Off?”
The Book of Death
One’s inscription in the Book of Life on Yom Kippur in reality is a cheat. The odds of death directly touching someone’s life in any given year is really not that great. After all, one’s demise is truly a once in a lifetime event. This year, however, personally there is no cheat. Rather, it isContinue reading “The Book of Death”
The Scriptural Root of Zionism: The New Year’s Second Day Haftarah
Arise, Let us ascend to Zion Jeremiah 31:5 Operation Solomon-a mass migration event- made history in 1991. Approximately 2400 years before this event, the Prophet Jeremiah recorded prophetic words which became part of the Hebrew Bible. Are these distant temporal events connected? Can an ancient Prophet be intimately tied to the 20th Century Beta IsraelContinue reading “The Scriptural Root of Zionism: The New Year’s Second Day Haftarah”
The Most Important Parental Advice? Rosh Hashonah’s First Day Reading
Is there one piece of parental advice that reigns over all others? The answer is emphatically “yes”. This masterful advice emanates from the Book of Genesis. The specific passage is part of the Torah portion read on the first day of the Jewish New Year. In it, the Jewish People’s first Matriarch, Sarah, initiates aContinue reading “The Most Important Parental Advice? Rosh Hashonah’s First Day Reading”
The Ten Commandments Project 