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God Spoke and the World Came into Being
In the kiddush for Friday night, Shabbat is referred to as “Zikaron L’ma-aseh Beraisheet” – a reminder of creation. It is the only holy day mentioned in the Torah that is connected to creation. “On the seventh day God finished the work that had been undertaken: God ceased on the seventh day from doing any…
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Measure for Measure
Our Torah reading this week (Numbers 16) concerns the most serious rebellion confronted by Moses in all of the forty years in the desert. A man named Korach leads an uprising of 250 Israelites, “chieftains of the community …. men of repute” against Moses, saying, “All of the community is holy, all of them, and…
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Rahab and the Spies
In this week’s prophetic portion, (Joshua 2: 1-24) or Haftarah, Joshua sends two spies to Jericho in anticipation of attacking and conquering the city. The two spies take up lodging with a woman named Rahab, who is described as a harlot. The King of Jericho hears of the infiltration of the spies. He seeks out…
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One People, One Mission
Our Parasha this week opens with G-d commanding Aaron to light the seven branched Menorah daily. Aaron lights the wicks of the Menorah in a certain order. He starts with the outermost branch on the right and lights toward the center, then moves from the outermost branch on the left and moves toward the center.…
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God Cares
In this week’s Torah reading we find the Priestly BlessingMay God Bless you and watch over youMay God shine His light upon you and be gracious to youMay God turn His face toward you and grant you peace. In English, the word “you” is both singular and plural – it can refer to an individual…
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Into the Wilderness
There is a cartoon by the artist Mari Andrew showing two identical drawings of a woman holding a suitcase, staring at the road in front of her. On one side, she stares at an empty road ahead, and the caption reads: “I’m leaving.” On the other side, there is a road leading to a city,…
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When your fellow comes to ruin….
Woe to the person who falls on hard times! In ancient Rome, a creditor could legally imprison a person who owed him money in his own private dungeon. He could chain him to a block; sell him into slavery, or even worse. England had an infamous London prison called the Marshalsea, where debtors were sent.…
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An Audacious Choice
The Menorah is one of the oldest Jewish symbols. In the Book of Exodus, G-d shows Moses the design of the Menorah, which is then executed by the artisan Bezalel. It is made out of one block of pure gold. In this week’s Torah portion, (Leviticus 24:1-4) Aaron is commanded to light the Menorah in…
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A Mother’s Day Story
Chaim Weitzman, who was to become the first President of the State of Israel, once used Mother’s Day to advance the argument for a Jewish State in what was then Palestine. The story goes that a British gentleman said to him: “Dr. Weitzman, what do you need to start a Jewish country for in that…
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Happy Birthday Israel
When Theodore Herzl conceived of the idea of a Jewish State, he hoped that it would solve the “Jewish problem” — that antisemitism would be eradicated if Jews could become a normal people in a normal nation state. Yet here we are, 77 years after the founding of the State of Israel, and antisemitism is…
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Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 