Behar – Let Freedom Ring!
In 1751 a bell was cast. The work was carried out by the firm Lester and Pack, today named Whitechapel Bell Foundry, located just a few blocks away from London’s […]
Category Archives: Torah
Torah Thoughts Informed by my AshkeSephard Worldview
Israel and the Early Sephardim
When most people think of Israel’s early settlers, they tend to think of Ashkenazim. They are, however, mistaken. Similar to the origins of Jewish life in America, Israel’s old guard (the […]
Shemini – Sephardic Responses to Suffering
In the face of his son’s deaths Aaron was silent, ‘vayidom Aharon’ (Vayikra 10:3). We don’t really know what he felt, whether anger, intense pain, or sadness, or perhaps a combination […]
Vayaqhel-Pekude – Substance and Style
The seeming repetition of the construction of the Mishkan provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon its architecture and what we can learn from it. There were essentially two […]
A Jewish Eulogy for Spock
The recent passing of Leonard Nimoy z’l occurred at a fitting time in the Jewish calendar. Nimoy played the iconic character Spock in the hit series Star Trek, the most […]
Mishpatim – Legal Fiction
We would like to expect that one who observes all of the laws of the Torah is also living an ethical life. Unfortunately, we know that this does not always […]
Va’era – Age is Just a Number
The Torah often makes a point to tell us a person’s age at the time of their death, perhaps as a mark of accomplishment. However, when the Torah tells us […]
Hanukkah – Public or Private Judaism
The signature observance of Hanukkah is the lighting of the Hanukkiah. It’s most dramatic component is its placement in a visible location, whether in a doorway or in a window […]
Yosef, The Captive Child
At the tender age of seventeen Yosef’s brothers sold him into slavery. He changed hands several times and eventually ended up as a house slave in Egypt. Yosef’s depravation, however, […]
Thanksgiving – A Spanish & Portuguese Jewish Holiday
Jews do not generally treat civil holidays as Jewish holidays. While some might mark them in some manner, others don’t even do that. With regard to the American holiday of Thanksgiving, a minority […]
Shalom Says Hello 