Parshas Mishpatim 5785
And Parshat Mishpatim starts in a peculiar way. The Hebrew text (Exodus 21:1) begins with a “ו“, which translates as “And,” a word usually used to connect two ideas or concepts. But this is the beginning of a new portion!…
It’s all about how you Exit!<br>Parshas Yisro 5785
“Quit while you’re ahead” is one of the simple but wise rules of life. But for David Kime Jr., the rule was a bit different, it went something like this, “Don’t quit even when you’re dead.” David, a longtime resident…
Parshat Yitro 5785
Yitro, the person for whom this week’s portion is named, should have been the very last person in the world to have a portion in the Torah named for him. After all, he spent most of his life serving idols.…
Be Jim, Don’t be Frank<br>Parshas Beshalach 5785
Jim Spinnock turned the corner, and headed down Slade toward his favorite Starbucks. Nothing put a little fire in his belly like a cup of piping hot Colombian magic. Like almost every day of every workweek, his friend Frank DeMott…
Parshat Beshalach תשפ”ה
This Shabbat we read the Torah portion ofבשלח (Beshalach). Denoted שבת שירה (Shabbat Shira),the “Shabbat of the Song,” this portion contains the song that the Jewish people sang to Hashem in appreciation for the salvation that they experienced from the…
Parshas Bo 5785
The Egyptians have suffered through seven of the ten plagues, and after three more they will send the Jewish people out of Egypt. The time has come to prepare the Jewish people for the holiday of Pesach. They will need…
Are you a Man of God or a Man of Science?<br>Parshas Va’eira 5785
We have been conditioned to believe that there is an inherent conflict between science and religion and that one has to choose between being a Man of Science or a Man of God. We see it in lawsuits launched by…
Parshas Vaera 5785
When Hashem charged Moshe with his mission to take the Jewish people out of Egypt, He told him (Exodus 4:17), (יז) וְאֶת הַמַּטֶּה הַזֶּה תִּקַּח בְּיָדֶךָ אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה בּוֹ אֶת הָאֹתֹת. 17) “And this staff you shall take in your…
Can we talk about peaches?<br>Parshas Shemos 5785
Let’s talk about peaches for a moment. Soft orbs of juice and summer delight, peaches are everything that is right about fruit. Filled with so much juice that it’s almost impossible to keep your cheeks and chin clean while eating…
Parshas Shemos 5785
This coming Shabbat we begin the Torah’s second book, Shemot. After just a few verses, we learn of Levi’s death at age 137. This noteworthy “statistic” had extraordinary significance, for it marked the beginning of our slavery in Egypt. As…