The new Pixar movie, Coco, is amazing. It takes place on the Mexican Day of the Dead and is about a boy trying to uncover the place of music within his family heritage, and find himself in the process. As…
Torah Thoughts Shemot
Long before the concept of “fake news” became a thing, scholars have been challenging the veracity of the Exodus story. Two million Hebrews traversing the Sinai, really??? A burning bush? Ten plagues? The splitting of the sea??? A respected…
Torah Thoughts Vayichi
I tend to see 18s wherever I look. 18 being the magic Hebrew number, bringing together the Hebrew letter Chet (8), and Yud (10), equaling the Hebrew word Chai, meaning life. So important is this number in our Jewish lexicon…
Torah Thoughts Vayigash
This week’s Torah portion, Vayigash, brings to conclusion the confrontation between Joseph and his brothers. It begins with one of the most dramatic scenes in all of Torah, where Judah steps close to Joseph and begs for Benjamin’s life, even…
Torah Thoughts Miketz
Believe it or not Jews invented advertising. How so you may ask? It comes down to Hanukkah. The menorah or Chanukiah is not only a symbol of the holiday, but is also the first advertising icon. The rabbis in the…
Torah Thoughts Vayeshev
Paul Simon once sung, “these are the days of miracles and wonder.” And indeed they are. To walk the land of our ancestors, as I have been doing the past week, is to feel as if anything is possible. Our…
Torah Thoughts Vayishlach
Lately, I have been noticing the differences in the many Israeli maps hanging in different parts of our Jewish community. There are biblical versions from the time of David and Solomon, early versions featuring the green line from the first…
Torah Thoughts Vayeitzei
There are few times in Torah where a human being feels more alone than Jacob does at the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Vayetzei. Fleeing his brother who is seeking revenge for the theft of his father’s blessing, Jacob…
Torah Thoughts Toldot 5778
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis on the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg Germany thus starting the process of Reformation, at the same time as he started a wave of antiemetic rhetoric that would…
Torah Thoughts Chayei Sarah 5778
In early November of 1626, Pieter Schage told his superiors at the West India Company of the purchase of Manhattan Island from the Lenape tribe for 60 guilders. This is one of the foundational moments in American history, setting the…