Tag: bible
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Out of Egypt Part II
When I was a child growing up in Scranton Pennsylvania, the Everhardt Museum of Natural History was a short walk from my house. I would visit frequently on my own. The Bird Gallery had an impressive permanent exhibit of over 600 preserved birds from around the world. The Rocks and Minerals collection featured a case…
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We Feel the Earth Move
The Torah gives a vivid description of the giving of the Ten Commandments. “….. There was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn. And all the people in the camp trembled ……… Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Lord had come down…
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Today we are bombarded with the comings and goings of the rich and famous on social media, television, magazines and newspapers. Scientific American magazine reported a study that a desire for fame solely for the sake of being famous was the most popular future goal among a group of 10-12 year olds. That is, when…
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Cultivating Humility
Our Torah reading juxtaposes two men who are of very different character. When Moses approaches Pharoah to let the Israelites go, Pharoah responds, “Who is this God that I should heed him and let Israel go. I do not know the God of Israel, nor will I let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2) Thus Pharoah asserts…
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Pray for Your Country
This Shabbat, as we do every Shabbat, Jewish congregations around the world will pray for the welfare of the government of their respective countries. The prayer in the congregation where I worship asks God to bless the government of the United States, its leaders and its advisors, so that they may govern wisely and bring…
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Returning the Hostages
Dear Friends, Today we received news of the impending release of some Israeli hostages held by Hamas in conjunction with a cease fire agreement between Israel and the terrorist organization. I want to share with you the words of Rabbi Tamar Elad Appelbaum from Jerusalem who expresses so beautifully the hopes and fears of Israelis…
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Angels in our Midst?
In our Torah reading this week, Joseph is dispatched by his father Jacob to check on the welfare of his brothers and on the flocks they are pasturing near Shechem. (Genesis 37:12) Joseph loses his way and encounters a man who asks him what he is seeking. Joseph replies that he is looking for his…
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Just Getting Even?
In our Torah reading for tomorrow, (Genesis 31:7-32:3) Jacob flees from Laban with his family and all of the wealth he has managed to accumulate in his years of service/servitude to his father-in-law. We learn that Rachel, Jacob’s wife (and Laban’s daughter), steals the household idols and brings them with her. The commentators wonder why…
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Love Makes the World Go Round
In her 1986 album, True Blue, Madonna singsThere’s hunger everywhereWe’ve got to take a standReach out for someone’s handLove makes the world go roundIt’s easy to forget If you don’t hear the soundOf pain and prejudiceLove makes the world go round. The idea that “love makes the world go round” is found in our Parasha…
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A Broken Vessel
Our holy Torah knows of no perfect people. Even the founder of our religion, Abraham, the first Hebrew, is a flawed individual. Between the ages of 75, when, as Abram, he received his promise from God that he would become “a great nation” to the age of 99, when Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 