Shabbat of Prophetic Vision: Isaiah and John Lewis
This Shabbat is the “Shabbat of Prophetic Vision” and comes a few days before the 9th of Av, which is associated with the most devastating calamities that the Jewish people have faced throughout time – the most recognizable of these disasters are the destruction of the first Temple by the Babylonians and the second Temple by the Romans. More
Shabbat Shuvah: The Walk of Mercy
Imagine living under the tutelage of a master teacher, preparing for your profession. You are perhaps unsure that you are suited for the job, but with enough coaching, you gain the confidence needed to be the leader that those around you assure you that you are. You gain a following. You put aside the humility […]
Rumors of My Retirement Are Greatly Exaggerated!
Dearest Friends of the Tucson Jewish community, It seems to me that many of you have forgotten the training we all received when we were children. Remember the nurse at school who taught you two important rules: 1) Wash your hands, and 2) Don’t put something in your mouth if you don’t know where it […]
Drash on Parashat Ki Tisa: The Women’s Jewelry
Moses was on top of Mount Sinai for quite some time. The people grew impatient when he was “delayed in coming down from the mountain” (32:1), and they asked Aaron to make an idol for them. But why does Aaron tell the men, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your […]
Drash on Parashat T’tzaveh
You shall command the Children of Israel to bring you pure beaten oil for a light, to cause the lamp to burn continually (Exodus 27:20). Abraham Saba (1440-1508), the Tzror HaMor, taught, “Israel is likened to an olive, which yields up its oil only when it is crushed, for Israel reveals its true virtues only […]