HEAVY LIFTING When Rachie and I were first married, we lived in Jerusalem while I was studying at the Mir Yeshiva. One day, I arrived at an apartment building to visit a friend. At the same time, a van pulled up, and the driver proceeded to unload a fridge destined for a resident on the third floor. I stood, aghast, wondering how the driver, a middle-aged Russian oleh barely over five feet tall, would get the fridge up all those stairs without a lift. Could I offer to help? Should I? I would probably do my back in! Before I...
THE RADIANCE OF EXCELLENCE In the latest of a series of claims extolling the virtues of olive oil consumption, an article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported benefits to brain health, reducing the risk of dementia. Olive oil makes the headlines in this week’s parasha too. It begins with the commandment to kindle the Menorah in the Mishkan (mobile Temple.): “Command the Israelites to bring you pure olive oil, pressed for illumination, to kindle the lamp every night.” (Shemot 27:20). The Torah specifically prescribes olive oil for the Temple Menorah, and more than that, it...
GOING THROUGH THE DOOR At the beginning of our parasha, a curious law is described. A Hebrew slave who has served his six-year term is entitled to go free. If he chooses to remain in servitude, however, he must have his ear pierced. After the judges confirm that this is genuinely his wish, “his master shall take him to the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl; and after that he shall remain his slave forever” (Shemot 21:6), i.e., until the jubilee year. In contrast to other ancient societies where slaves were often branded upon entering servitude, the Torah...
JEWS AND GENTILES This week, a remarkable encounter took place at Buckingham Palace. It was the final stage of a conference between Muslim and Jewish leaders that had started at Dumlanrig Castle in Scotland. The summit culminated in the Dumlanrig Accord, a declaration promoting mutual respect and collaboration. Dr. Sayed Razawi, a senior Shia cleric, spearheaded the initiative, and King Charles invited the leaders to the palace to offer his blessing on the Accord. At a time when divisions often dominate the news, this meeting is a hopeful reminder that relationships can be built across religious differences. This spirit of...
CLEAR VISION One of the most powerful moments in the Song of the Sea, which we sing this Shabbat, is the phrase, “This is my G-d, and I will exalt Him…” (Shemot 15:2). This declaration, sung by the Israelites after their miraculous deliverance, holds a key insight into the nature of divine revelation. Rashi, citing the Sages of the Midrash, tells us that at that moment, everyone experienced sublime heights of prophecy. “Even a maidservant saw things at the Red Sea that were not perceived by the prophets Ezekiel or Isaiah” (Rashi, ibid.) This raises a compelling question: what was...
OUR CHILDREN, OUR FUTURE The threat of a plague of locusts, which would completely obliterate the vegetation in Egypt, finally brought Pharaoh to his senses—at least temporarily. In desperation, he summons Moses and Aaron. “You may go and worship in the desert—but who is going?” Moses replies, “With our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our sheep and with our cattle, because for us, it is a festival for G-d” (Shemot 10:8-9). Pharaoh, incredulous, suspects bad faith: “Your evil intentions are clear. Let the men go and serve G-d, for that is what...
