Tag: bible
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The Universal Word
What word in the English language is the most understood around the world? This word appears in our Torah portion this week. When you say this word, people in Europe understand it, people in South America understand it, and in Africa, and across the Middle and the Far East all understand this word. In fact,…
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The Miracles of Everyday Life
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses assembles the Israelites and recounts the past forty years of their experience together. He reminds them of “the wondrous feats that you saw with your own eyes, those prodigious signs and marvels.” “Yet,” he continues, “The Eternal has not given you a mind to understand or eyes to see or…
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A Summary Execution?
Last week’s parasha closed with the Israelites, encamped at a place called Shittim. There, they begin to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab, a pagan people. A plague breaks out among the people, an expression of God’s displeasure (to say the least) with the Israelite’s descent into paganism. An Israelite prince named Zimri brings…
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Extra Sensory Perception?
Our Torah reading (Numbers 22:2-25:9) this week opens with the Israelites encamped on the steppes of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. Thay are poised to enter the Land of Canaan. Balak, King of Moab, has heard of the military victories of the Israelites and offers the prophet, Ballam,…
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The Daughter of Pharaoh
The Book of Exodus opens with a list of names of Jacob and those who went down with him to Egypt. This gives the book its name in Hebrew, “Shemot” or “Names (of)”. We are quickly introduced to Pharaoh, then to Moses. But we are introduced to important women as well. There are Shifra and…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 