Ki Tissa – 5779 Exodus 30:11 – 34:35 Moses was the greatest leader of Israel ever – past, present and future. The Torah says so, and also the sages. Yet, he did not work alone. The Exodus story highlights two Israelite leaders, each with their own very different leadership styles. Moses was the ‘political’ leader […]

Tetzaveh – 5779 Exodus 27:20 – 30:10 Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky shares a story once told by Rabbi Sidney Greenberg about a time he brought a group of Kindergarteners into their synagogue sanctuary. Rabbi Greenberg pointed to the Ner Tamid and asked if any of the children could tell him what that was. One little go-getter […]

Terumah – 5779 Terumah – 5779 Exodus 25:1 – 27:19 One of the remarkable characteristics of Toraitic law is that most of the 613 Commandments do not follow the “if – then” formula. “If – then” laws are far more common in the secular world, and most legal systems would not function well without them. […]

Yitro – 5779 Exodus 18:1 – 20:23 Over the past few years, a series of articles have been published in papers like the Globe and Mail, The Independent and the Huffington Post about a new concept that some people consider an attractive alternative to traditional marriage: a marriage or relationship contract. There are various terms, […]

BeShalach – 5779 Exodus 13:17 – 17:16 Finally! After hundreds of years of slavery, we escape Egypt – only to arrive at an impassable sea with Pharaoh’s chariots in fast pursuit. This was not exactly the kind of redemption Moses promised, and our people were stuck, overwhelmed with the sense that life was pressing in […]