Rabbi Peter Knobel, in his d’var Torah Who is This God? “Eyheh-Asher-Ehyeh” speaks of the conversation between G-d and Moses at the burning bush. Moses agrees to lead the Israelites from bondage but appears a bit unsure that they will follow based on his word. So in Exodus 3:13-14 he asks G-d When I come to […]
2017 in retrospect
2017 in Retrospect I can only describe my 2017 as a year of opening doors, climbing stairs, and closing doors. Every time I got tired on the stairs, discouraged, fearful, overconfident, the right person was there on the staircase next to me, giving me the encouragement I needed to take the next step or to […]
From Failure comes Success
Michael Smerconish recently gave the commencement address at the Klein College of Media and Communications at Temple University. He spoke about rejection and failure and passed on to the graduates the lessons he learned from them. Failure and Rejection A person of diverse skills and talents, Mr. Smerconish’s talk pointed not to his successes but […]
Va-y’chi – Predictions for Each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
When I started reading the Torah portion Va-y’chi I wasn’t struck so much by the scene of Jacob’s deathbed with all of his sons gathered around receiving blessing. That sounds like an appropriate scene for one of the patriarchs. It’s fairly apparent that these weren’t blessings but predictions of the future. And Jacob (Israel) didn’t […]
Vayigash – a Lesson in Choices
The Torah portion Vayigash continues the story of Joseph and his family. In this parsha, Joseph plants a cup in Benjamin’s bag then accuses him of stealing. While much could discussed around this actions, my focus this time is on the the choice put before their brother Judah. Choices Judah has a choice to make. […]