Taking Responsibility for the Land
Aug 15, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Eikev
Parashat Eikev deals heavily with the theme of entering and securing the Land of Israel.
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At Home, Running for Cover
Jul 25, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Masei
The past month has been a time of great emotion and tension for those of us living in Israel. From the moment that Naftali Fraenkel (z”l), Gilad Sha’ar (z”l), and Eyal Yifrach (z”l) were kidnapped, there was a sense of foreboding that overtook the country.
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Always Strive to Be Israel
Jul 4, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Balak
This week’s Torah reading, Parashat Balak, is primarily focused on the Moabite king’s efforts to curse the Israelites.
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Our Prayers for Israel—For Whom Is the Message?
Jul 24, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
A serious challenge confronting the all-too-human venture of praying to God is in working out what we can say to the “One Who knows all.” A prayer for a congregation to recite in the face of destructive storms might open with the words, “God, we stand before you in time of peril”—but if God truly knows all, might we not assume that God is well aware of the peril facing the community?
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The Tabernacle: Divinity and Practicality
Jan 29, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Terumah
Parashat Terumah opens dramatically with a building campaign.
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Determination and Redemption
Jan 8, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Beshallah
Parashat Beshallah witnesses triumphant redemption.
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Repeating the Past
Nov 2, 2002 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah
Ironically death pervades Parashat Hayyei Sarah, the parashah that is literally translated as “the lives of Sarah.” The Torah reading opens with the death of Sarah and closes with the death of Abraham. In between, we are privy to the negotiations between Abraham and Ephron over the Cave of Makhpelah (which would become the burial site for our ancestors) and the search for Isaac’s mate. Life is bracketed by death. Sadly, it is a fitting parashah given the circumstances confronting our brothers and sisters in Israel today.
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Pluralism From the Bible to Israel
Jul 31, 2015 By Alex Sinclair | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
“Shamor vezakhor bedibur ehad” (“keep” and “remember” in one utterance), we sing in Lekhah Dodi (a phrase originally found in the Talmud, BT Shevuot 20b), because The Ten Commandments were given twice, once telling us to “remember” shabbat, and once, in this week’s parashah, telling us to “keep” it.
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