There is something difficult about coming to the end of Genesis. Not only do we have to say goodbye to the wonderful characters of the inaugural book of the Torah, but the path ahead is long and difficult. While the…
Torah Thoughts Vayigash – Genesis 44:18-47:27 – “Heroic Interventions”
To Judah and his brothers, the man standing in front of them who held their lives in balance, was a complete stranger. And not just a stranger, but an outsider. They were there to beg for mercy, a reprieve from…
Torah Thoughts – Mikeitz – Genesis.41.1-44.17 – “Shine a Light Into The Darkness”
On Hanukkah we shine a light into darkness to try to make a difference. The Menorahs we place in our windows are not merely decorative, but projections of our values out into the world. For the past two years I…
Torah Thoughts – Vayeshev – Genesis.37.1-40.23 – “Innocent Bystander vs. Co-Conspirator”
In the final episode of Seinfeld, the central characters of the sitcom are accused of being bystanders. Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer watch as a heavy-set man is carjacked, poking fun at him instead of rushing to his aide. In…
Torah Thoughts – Genesis 32:4-36:43 – Vayishlach “Be the First Candle”
There are forty-four candles in a box of Hanukkah candles, enough for every night of the holiday. Every is candle vital to performing the mitzvah of our festival of lights. As instructed by Rabbi Hillel, we start with just one,…
Torah Thoughts – Toldot – Genesis.25.19-28.9 “Double Trouble”
At the shiva service for Dr. Morris Unher of blessed memory, the line of people to greet the family extended all the way to the door. All of them had one thing in common: he had assisted in their birthing…
Torah Thoughts – Chayei Sara – Genesis.23.1-25.18 – “The Kindness of Strangers”
Last week, I had an opportunity to watch the musical “Come From Away” at Shea’s 710 Theatre. The 2017 Broadway production tells the true story of the 38 flights stranded for several days in Gander, Newfoundland after 9/11. The seven…
Torah Thoughts – Vayeira – Genesis.18.1-22.24 “Our Butterfly Moments”
For Ronnie Dubrowin a butterfly moment is one where we push against our outer limits and achieve something far beyond what we could originally imagine. During her talk last Shabbat at the Sisterhood Paid-Up Luncheon, she described the first marathon…
Torah Thoughts – Lech Lecha – Genesis.12.1-17.27 – “One Step in Front of Another”
The Erie Canal was not built in a day or two or three. The idea for it was generated in the 1780s. Construction officially started in 1817 and went until 1825, but the canal continued to be developed until 1918. …
Torah Thoughts – Noah – Genesis.6.9-11.32 – “Our 70th Year Reunion”
If you leave off the animals, the flood, the rainbow and any other specific details of the story of Noah, what you are left with is an immigration tale. Displaced by violence and an ecological disaster, our Biblical protagonist sets…