Timeless Torah

Once upon a time, long ago there lived two men. In those days, small minds measured success by the size of the lie a person could make others believe. In that world, overpopulated by imagery, he made himself the greatest idol of all. Everyone accepted the lies because it was the easy way - except one young man.  read more »

In a previous TIMELESS TORAH (from last week’s Biblical reading of Devarim) we touched upon the issue of parents’ demands, or should I say, parents’ expectations that their children conform to beliefs held dear by the older generation. As if on cue, this week’s Biblical passage of the Shema charges, among other things, “V’shinantom L’vonecha - You shall teach them (the words of the Torah) thoroughly to your children.” This all-consuming task has perplexed parents since Adam’s oldest son disappointed Dad and Mom by being a butcher rather than a doctor.  read more »

While most of the civilized world recognizes that there is but one set of Ten Commandments, what they may not know is that the Torah actually lists the Decalogue twice. Even more interesting are the slight variations that exist between the two. One example is the commandment to observe the Shabbat. In one verse we are told the reason for Shabbat is to, “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt,” while in the other passage it recalls that, “It was during the six weekdays that G-d created the heaven and earth...but He rested on the seventh.”  read more »

This week’s Biblical reading contains those famous six words that accompany the Jew throughout his life. It is one of the first prayers he learns, and the last he is likely to utter before he returns his soul to his Maker. I refer, of course, to the verse, “Shema (שמע) Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.” Although there is much to say (now, there is an understatement if there ever was one!) on these six words, we will limit our discussion to one letter.  read more »

It is the affirmation of our faith and uniquely Jewish. No wonder then that it is both simple and profound at the same time. It is chanted calmly by the youngest schoolchild and recited with fervor by the venerated martyr. It is the Shema.  read more »

Shema Yisroel is Judaism's most eloquent testimony of its belief in monotheism. And yet, these sacred words, so central to our prayers is not mentioned at all in the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus or Numbers. It is only in this week's Biblical portion, after four Books and forty years of wandering in the desert, do we come upon the cry of Shema Yisroel. Indeed, the phrase appears not once, but twice.  read more »

Binding straps of leather around one’s arm and head is distinctively Jewish. True, other cultures like the American Indian also made a big tzimmes using elaborate headdresses, but that was traditionally reserved for a tribal chief, and only on certain occasions. But tefillin are central. It, more than any other mitzvah, initiates our boys into Jewish manhood. Its role is not decorative or even sentimental; it is the defining commandment that separates the child from the adult. But why specifically tefillin?  read more »

The summer of 2006 afforded my family the rare opportunity to drive up the Eastern Seaboard into Montreal. This much anticipated road trip included a stop at Plimoth Plantation, a recreated village populated by actors playing the part of the early Pilgrims who traveled on the Mayflower. Before entering this historical colony, we were warned that the opinions we heard, though disturbing and politically incorrect, were accurately researched. Imagine our surprise when we encountered Wrestling Brewster, son of the colonists’ first Church Elder, actually bowing to us because he felt honored to meet a Rabbi and his family, “Members of the First Covenant.” He further related that his fellow co-religionists who had fled Europe in search of religious freedom had been ‘favorably’ compared to the ancient Israelites.  read more »