Timeless Torah

Beshalach Squared

Oasis of Transformation

Close your eyes and try to picture the Great Seal of the United States. What should appear on your mental screen is the image of an eagle. But the official seal did not always look this way. At one time it resembled what would later become the American flag, a mixture of stars and stripes. Even earlier than that, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin concerned themselves with the design of this important symbol.Their proposal was a scene (are you ready for this?) from this week’s Torah portion! “Which one?” you ask. Well...  read more »

They taught me many things in Rabbinical school, but one subject never fully elaborated was the concept of rabbinic authority. No professor ever sat me down and said, "Remember, as a Rabbi you are the living embodiment of Torah. Your halachic opinion is in effect the word of G-d filtered through the ages. Your word represents the Divine will."  read more »

Madonna is doing it. Even more impressive, your unaffiliated, previously disinterested Jewish neighbor is doing it. We're talking of course about Kaballah, mysticism, the hidden secrets, old-age Judaism garbed in new-age terminology and the latest fad to capture the imagination of those seeking greater spirituality and inspiration.  read more »

There are two species of song in the human experience. One is the song of gratitude expressed by a mother who is inspired by her newborn baby. Her boundless joy bursts forth with praise to the Almighty for her precious gift. Ironically, all the pain and discomfort of the last several months is suddenly forgotten. Nonetheless, because her happiness was paid for with blood, her song is referred to by the Sages as the Shira Chadasha; a song composed in the weaker, or feminine gender.  read more »

Who says I can’t sing? Maybe it doesn’t sound too pretty and sometimes I sing off key, but I sure make up for it in volume. Then again, perhaps that’s the problem. I’m just too loud. But I have a sneaking suspicion that that’s 3not the issue.  read more »

I’m no cartographer, but I figure I can read an ancient Biblical map as well as the next fellow. In fact, this past week I didn’t even need a map, and yet my sense of direction is such that I was able to I drive my family all the way from Florida to Montreal to New York and back home again. (It’s probably irrelevant to mention that I got lost in Montreal looking for the Synagogue where my niece was getting married...but after all, the cop did give me bad directions!)  read more »

What is the single most important thing we can spend on our loved ones? Time. The only commodity we cannot reproduce or recreate, we squander away on television, hobbies, sports, politics, and vacations. It often seems to me, that we would rather be busy with almost any other activity, so long as we don’t have to spend some quiet quality time with our own children. Imagine your family dynamic, if you would just spend on your children half the amount of money for soon-to-be-forgotten toys and double the amount of time that you currently do.  read more »

This week’s Biblical portion tells the story of the world’s first Jewish launch. Taking off from Goshen Station, Egypt, these trained Hebrew astronauts forged under the taskmaster’s whip were tough, tenacious and excited about their historic mission. Their flight from slavery lead through a parted Sea, a smoking mountain, a desolate desert, a Promised Land, and from there onto all points on the horizon.  read more »