I keep thinking about Parshat Vaeira as I read the headlines. Vaeira is the moment when God tells Moses: “You’re not crazy. The suffering is real. And change is coming-faster than you think!" It is ...

And yet Parshat Shemini opens with an unsettling counterpoint. Nadav and Avihu, Aharon’s sons, filled with genuine enthusiasm ...

Parshat Mattot begins with the verses (Bamidbar 30:2-3), “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Yisra᾽el, saying, “This is the matter which the Lord has commanded. If a man ...

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While reading Parshat Vayishlach this year, I was struck by the imbalance between speech and silence and what it suggests about power and action. On one hand, we see Jacob’s detailed plans and spoken ...

This year’s reading of Parshat Noah is on October 21. The tradition is to celebrate by baking and enjoying rainbow treats. “I love the rainbow monkey bread babka because not only is it unique, ...

In parshat Shemini: Following the seven days of their inauguration, Aaron and his sons begin to officiate as kohanim (priests). Aaron’s two elder sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a “strange fire before ...

The Kohanim and Leviim did not have a share in the Land, it was therefore up to the other tribes to provide for them. In Parshat Shoftim we read about a few of these gifts that are given to the Kohen ...

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz shares wisdom from Parshat Yitro about putting aside one’s ego and working together for the common good. With all the uncertainties around us — climate change, public health ...

This week I have been thinking a lot about the importance of studying history. History, at its core, is the study of people. History can help us understand ourselves as a people, as we see patterns ...

As Ramban points out, it is unclear from the psukim what exactly Moshe and Aharon did wrong in the incident of “Mei Meriva”. Rashi famously brings down from the Midrash that Moshe was meant to speak, ...