Of the thousand or so words in this week’s Torah portion, Titzvah, two stand out. They are names of Aaron’s eldest sons: Nadab and Avihu. Only mentioned a few times in all of Torah, their names have particular resonance to me this…
Torah Thoughts Terumah (Exodus 25:1 – 27:18) – “The Meaning of Construction Projects”
We are in a time of renaissance in and around Buffalo. New buildings are popping up all over and with them the clamor of construction equipment. In Israel, which has been in a state of perpetual growth since its founding in 1948,…
Torah Thoughts Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1 – 24:18) – “Follow the Sapphire Brick Road”
A few weeks ago, when it was just as cold as it is this week, I ventured out to walk my dog before the sun had even risen in the sky. It was a cloudless morning and all the stars sparkled…
Torah Thoughts Yitro (Exodus 18:1 – 20:23) – “Sometimes You Need a Team”
Do you know what a lift is? I surely didn’t, that is until Leah Small explained it to at her Bat Mitzvah rehearsal last week. A lift is a dance move, where the entire troop lifts one of their members…
Torah Thoughts Beshelach (Exodus 13:17 – 17:16) – “A Tale of Nachshons: Trailblazers and What They Mean to Society”
To cross the sea, as the Israelites do in this week’s Torah portion Beshelach, requires one person to take the first step. In rabbinic tradition that person becomes Nachshon, who, when sandwiched between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, takes…
Torah Thoughts Bo (Exodus 10:1 -13:16) – “If Exodus Were a Horror Film it Would Be Birdbox”
Let me get this out of the way at the beginning, I hate horror films. Life is scary enough as it is and I don’t need to go to the movie theater to be reminded of that. Of course…
Torah Thoughts Vaerah (Exodus 6:2-9:35) – “We Could All Use a Little Mary Poppins in Our Life”
We could all use a Mary Poppins in our life; someone to swoop in with and save us from ourselves. Not to clean up our house (although that would be helpful as well), but to clean up our lives. Mary Poppins as…
Torah Thoughts Shemot (Exodus 1:1 – 6:1) – “Celebrating Upstanders”
The real heroes of the beginning of Exodus are not Moses or Miriam or anyone in their family; in fact they are not even part of the Jewish people. The real heroes of Parashat Shemot are two women, Shiphrah and…
Torah Thoughts Vayechi (Genesis 47:28 – 50:26) – “I Will Survive”
As anyone who has been to a recent Buffalo Bill’s game knows, sometimes surviving is enough. In three consecutive weeks, the Bills have been in close battles with their opponents, the first two ending in defeat, until this week, when…