-
Pulse of the Parsha – Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5786 | Michigan Mussar: When the Goyim Get It
Parshas Nitzavim predicts that when Am Yisrael is exiled, the goyim will explain why. On accepting the truth from any source — except when the source is a Michigan attorney general who gets it badly wrong.
-
Rebbetzin’s Reflection Nitzavim
The Heart of the Matter Parshat Nitzavim is traditionally read on the Shabbos immediately preceding Rosh Hashanah. In a parsha consisting of only forty pesukim, the Hebrew word for heart (lev—לֵב) appears an astonishing eleven times and is heavily concentrated within the pesukim of teshuva (Devarim 30:1–10), where it appears…
-
Pulse of the Parsha – Ki Savo 5786
Trembling and the Table In chapter 34 of Moby Dick, Herman Melville describes two dining rooms aboard Captain Ahab’s whaling ship, the Pequod. At Ahab’s table, the officers sit in near-paralyzed silence: “They were as little children before Ahab… their intent eyes all fastened upon the old man’s knife… I…
-
Rebbetzin’s Reflection Ki Savo
The joy of grounded gratitude After generations of waiting, Bnei Yisrael finally entered Eretz Yisrael. This was a dream for generations. The parsha starts with Bikkurim: The farmer brings his first fruits and declares: “הִגַּדְתִּי הַיּוֹם לַה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ כִּי בָאתִי אֶל הָאָרֶץ…” “I declare today… that I have come to…
-
Pulse of the Parsha – Ki Seitzei
The Danger of Deserving: Disappointment and Destruction Office politics have a long history. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the antagonist Iago serves as literature’s classic example of revenge sparked by being passed over for a promotion. Believing he was rightfully owed the position of lieutenant, Iago is enraged when Othello promotes Michael…
-
Rebbetzin’s Reflection Ki Teitzei
Everything is Awesome…sometimes! “Ki teitzei” When you go out.(Devarim 21:10) Ki Teitzei does not promise that life will stay predictable. Its opening words, “when you go out,” recognize that life regularly takes us beyond the familiar. The parsha gives us a Torah response: expect the unexpected and, prepare for it.…
-
Pulse of the Parsha – Shoftim
Measuring Motivations: Morality, Misdeeds, and the Month of Elul The prohibition against accepting a bribe is not one of the Torah’s laws that anyone accuses of irrelevance. This week, the WSJ reported that since rising to power in 2012, Chinese paramount leader and president Xi Jinping has disciplined more than…
-
Rebbitzen’s Reflection
Parshas Shoftim: A Different Kind of Strength A Different Kind of Strength When I traveled to Israel in November 2023 with a group of rebbitzens and lay leaders, in the aftermath of the unfathomable, we knew we wanted to do anything we could to help. Truthfully, we also knew there…
-
Rebbitzen’s Reflection
Parshas Re’eh: Seeing Clearly “See—I place before you today blessing and curse.” (Devarim 11:26) Moshe opens this week’s parsha with one powerful word: “Re’eh”—”See.” Moshe doesn’t begin by saying listen or understand. He says, see. Summer has a way of shifting our focus. With August here and Elul approaching, it’s…