Tuesday, March 19th 2024   |

Commentaries

Person in the Parsha: Vayikra

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

COURTESY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

“There is no such thing as privacy anymore.” “There are no secrets anymore.”

These are two complaints that are heard frequently nowadays.

We live in a world of cell phones and e-mails, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. We have no privacy, for almost anyone can reach us wherever we are, whatever we happen to be doing, at all...

Person in the Parsha: Pukudei

By RABBI TZVI HIRSCH WEINREB 

CELEBRATION OR REDEDICATION?

“Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek!”

“Be strong, be strong, and we will be strong!”

The weekly portion we read this week is Parshat Pekudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38), which comprises the concluding chapters of Sefer Shemot, the Book of Exodus.

As the ba’al koreh, the Torah reader, approaches the final verses, we stand. And...

Person in the Parsha: Vayakhel and Shekalim

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

NEITHER MORE NOR LESS

This essay requires two introductory clarifications.

First of all, this Shabbat, we supplement the regular weekly reading, Parshat Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20), with a brief passage from the beginning of last week’s parsha, Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-16). Why?

Because this Shabbat is the first of a series of Shabbatot that mark several significant events on the Jewish calendar. This week,...

Person in the Parsha: Ki Tisa

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

LITTLE DID I KNOW

Birthdays are important, and the older one gets, the more important he becomes. With age, birthdays begin to stimulate ambiguous feelings.

On the one hand, every birthday is cause for celebration. Another year of life and accomplishment has gone by, and a new year full of hope and great possibilities is about to begin. There is much to be...

Person in the Parsha: Tetzevah

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

THE STIGMA OF FAME

People are motivated by many things. The search for pleasure is certainly one of the great motivators of human beings. So are the search for power and the search for riches. There are also those among us who seek to be liked by others, to the extent that the search for adulation is their primary motivation in life.

Others,...

Person in the Parsha: Terumah

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB 

ONE OF THE ANGELS

My grandmother was one of the angels. Like every Jewish grandmother, she loved each and every one of her grandchildren. As her oldest grandchild, I believed that I was surely her favorite. But I eventually discovered that my siblings and cousins were all equally convinced that they were her favorites.

She had a way of...

Person in the Parsha: Mishpatim

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

CAREERS

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” That was once the standard question to ask an eight- or nine-year-old when trying to make conversation with him or her. Somehow, every child had an answer, which ranged from “fireman” to “football player” to “nurse.”

It seems to me that we don’t ask that question...

Rav-Elations!: God Bless the Stubborn

By RABBI DAVID GERBER

Now that we have marched through the parted Sea of Reeds in our Torah, it is time for the long, winding journey through the desert.

As you might expect, the Jewish people had some complaints about the long trek to Israel. They were hot, tired, hungry, and thirsty. Time after time they complain to Moses. God goes as far as referring to us as a stiff-necked...

Person in the Parsha: Yitro

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB 

I KNOW NOW VS. NOW I KNOW

Assembling complicated gadgets is generally facilitated by the printed instructions that the factory provides. Occasionally, however, there are no instructions, either because of the manufacturer’s negligence or because of his assumption that there is no one out there dumb enough not to be able to figure out how to assemble the gadget...

Rav-Elations!: The Song of the Sea

By RABBI DAVID GERBER

Shabbat Shirim (Shabbat of Song) is one of the most visually and musically interesting days on the Jewish calendar. Since we read about the ancient Israelites’ redemption by crossing the parted Red Sea, we are commanded to sing just as they did; celebrating their freedom.

Most services will focus on music, trying to emulate the prophet Miriam. On Shabbat morning, we are treated to a visual...