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As we begin this week’s Torah portion, Bo.  Seven plagues have come and gone, everything from frogs to lice to cattle disease.  Each time Pharaoh relents, then grows hard-hearted and stubborn.  And the Israelites remain enslaved.

Now, as the time for the Israelites’ freedom draws near, Pharaoh has grown even more stubborn, so much so that the Torah tells us God now hardens his heart, rather than Pharaoh...Read more...

It’s a story we have heard time and again. Jacob and his sons have passed away, and a new Pharaoh has come to power in Egypt. He sees that the Israelites are growing in number and, afraid that they wouldn’t be loyal to Egypt in case of invasion, he decides to enslave them and tries to kill off their male children. Moses, a beautiful boy whose Levite mother could not bear to see him killed, is miraculously saved from death through the...Read more...

This week finds us midway through the saga of Joseph in Miketz, our weekly Torah portion.  And what a saga it is!  Joseph’s journey is the stuff of great literature, epic drama, even a musical that was, shall we say, a modest success.  Joesph began as a callow youth... terribly good looking, more than a little full of himself, the apple of his father Jacob’s eye.

Joseph is...Read more...

A story is told of King Solomon, who gave his most loyal servant a most difficult charge.  The King asked him to find something that would make him happy when he was sad and sad when he was happy.  The servant had never failed King Solomon yet, and was confident that if such an item existed in the world, he would find it.  Still the king, perhaps understanding how near to impossible the task would be, told...Read more...

Approximately one year ago, I had a zoom interview with a congregation during which I had been asked to open with a D’var Torah.  It was my good fortune that the upcoming Torah portion was Toldot, meaning generations.  I was amazed at the depth and openness of the conversation we had afterwards.  It felt as though we had known each other far longer than we actually had.

That congregation...Read more...