COVID-19 Is Not Like the Plagues of Egypt
Today is the first of Nisan, reminding us that Passover is just two weeks away. There has been talk online that, on Passover night, many will refer to COVID-19 as a plague equivalent to the ten disasters God inflicted on Egypt, including swarms of locusts, hordes of frogs, a scourge of boils, pestilence of livestock, and the death of firstborn sons. Might I suggest we not do that.
The novel coronavirus is an epidemic disease, and now, a pandemic because it has spread around the world. And, like a plague, it is causing widespread affliction, as well as pain, loss, and distress. So, shall we liken it to the biblical plagues of our ancestors? I should say not. More
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 […]
Drash on Parashat T’rumah
“And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among [within] them” (Exodus 25:8). I found this teaching among my resources: Every soul is a chamber for God, a vessel that contains the divine light. This is the message the Hasidic masters repeatedly associate with the Tabernacle, built by the Israelites in the […]
Drash on Parashat Yitro
Every Saturday, the Torah is read, and then it is interpreted by the rabbi. In the Torah portion, Yitro, the people receive the Torah from Mount Sinai. In this story, who do you suppose is the “Torah reader” and who is the “Torah interpreter”? Almost everyone responds that the Torah reader is God. And they […]