Stories We Tell: Brother and the Car
Stories We Tell: The Seed
Stories We Tell: The Wedding Gift
Stories We Tell: Chiribim and Chiribam
Stories We Tell: The Golem
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Chukat: Remembering Rabbi Aharon Pankin
Parashat Chukat, we learn of the passing of two of the most inspired biblical teachers: Miriam and Aaron. In this episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs honors the life of Rabbi Aaron Panken, Ph.D., z”l, who, like the biblical Aaron, was a remarkable leader.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - D'varim: For All the Jewish People
Kol Yisrael translates to “all of Israel.” In Parashat D’varim, when Moses speaks to kol Yisrael, he’s not speaking to a divided Jewish people: he’s speaking to them as one.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Sh’lach L’cha: Optimism and Hope
Parashat Sh’lach L’cha, the Jewish people are wandering the desert and doubting that they’ll ever make it to the promised land. So, they send 12 spies ahead to scout the land and report back.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Emor: Unnamed Women
Tucked at the very end of Parashat Emor we meet Shlomit bat Divri, the only woman whose name we learn in Leviticus. But, why do we learn her name and not others?
How We Win Is Important
We read about Amalek in Parashat B’shalach. As the first to attack the Israelites once we are freed from Egypt and wandering through the desert, Amalek gains some level of notoriety. In M’chilta D’Rabbi Yishmael, Rabbi Eliezer of Modi’in suggests this is due to the tactics Amalek used in the attack. “Amalek ‘sneaked’ under the edges of the cloud and snatched the souls of Israel and killed them,” (as the Torah hints later in Deuteronomy) — “When you were weary and worn out, [Amalek’s army] met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God” (M’chilta D’Rabbi Yishmael, Amalek, on Exodus 17:8).