Honor Humanity and Honor the Holy One
Have you ever noted the following from Martin Buber's Ten Rungs, which is included among the meditations at the beginning of Gates of Prayer?
A Blessing for Material and Spiritual Wealth
This week's portion, Naso, contains three of the best known verses in Torah, collectively called the Priestly Benediction or the Birkat Kohanim. (Num. 6:24-26)
Leaving the Fleshpots of Egypt for the Promised Land of Israel, Then and Now
In our portion of the week, B'haalot'cha, particularly in Numbers 11, we find a famous and classic episode of the murmurings of our people in the desert.
Sufficiency Consciousness: A Path to God
God said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and say to him: 'When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps shall illuminate the menorah.'" (Numbers 8:1, 2) These two simple verses begin a diverse web of instructions and stories that comprise this week's Torah portion, Parashat B’haalot’cha.
"Daddy, Are We There Yet?"
There's a joke that started making the rounds when Jews from the former Soviet Union began arriving in large numbers in Israel:
"So, really, how was life back in Russia?" a Sabra asks a new immigrant, just arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union.
The Committee Meeting from Heaven
Not so long ago, in a congregation that could be your own, lived a man named Joseph Smithstein. His synagogue, Congregation Echad, was once vibrant, but over time things had changed. Two years ago, because nobody wanted to take the helm, Joe, a new member, became the president.
B'haalot'cha: This Passage Is Out of Place
This week’s Torah portion, B’haalot’cha, begins with the instructions for the lifting up of “the lamps,” haneirot, to illuminate the Tabernacle. The initial letter of the word, “lamp,” neir, is nun.