From Golden Calf to Golden Miskan
Just a few chapters before Vayakhel–Pekudei, the Israelites commit one of the most shocking sins in the Torah: the Golden Calf. Fresh from hearing “You shall have no other gods […]
Two Cows, Two Paths: From Golden Calf to Red Heifer
This week’s parasha, Ki Tissa, brings us face to face with one of the lowest points in our history: the sin of the Golden Calf. At the very same […]
Shabbat Zachor and the Shadow of Iran
On Shabbat Zachor, we read a short but powerful passage about Amalek: “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt—how he happened upon you on […]
Voluntary Hearts, Sacred Boundaries
Parashat Terumah opens with a fascinating paradox about giving. God tells Moshe: “Speak to the Children of Israel, and let them take for Me an offering; from every person […]
The Day After Sinai
Parasahat Mishpatim prompts us to ask: what happens the day after Sinai? After thunder, lightning, and the Ten Commandments, what does it truly look like to live with God’s revelation? […]
Carrying Coffins, Choosing Life: From Joseph’s Bones to the Last Hostage
As often happens, our Torah Parasha this week closely relates to current world events. Moses carrying Joseph’s bones out of Egypt and Israel bringing home the body of the last […]
When God Won’t Wait for the Dough: Providence, Inertia, and Inner Chametz
The Torah’s weaving of command and story around chametz in Parashat Bo suggests a powerful message: when people are slow to change, providence sometimes rearranges reality so that we […]
When Plagues Divide: Pedut and the Misreading of Jewish Difference
In the story of the plagues, there is a key turning point that is easy to miss. In the first three plagues, Israel and Egypt face the same outcomes. […]
“A New King Who Did Not Know Joseph”: Exodus 1 as the First Antisemitism
Exodus starts with a disturbingly familiar story. Before any plagues or miracles happen, and before Moshe even appears, the Torah depicts a powerful society that turns on a small […]
Mixed Blessings: What Jacob Really Gives His Sons
Jacob’s final words to his sons in Parashat Vayechi are called “blessings,” yet many of them sound painfully like rebuke, even curse. This tension encourages a deeper examination of […]