Lots (literally) in this Torah portion. The message gifted to me by Rabbi Carla Freedman was “…that goodness must reach a critical mass in order to offset the evil around it.” Critical mass – the minimum size or amount of something needed required to maintain or start a venture. How does it feel to be […]
Chukat – Patience as a Virtue of Leadership
The Torah portion Chukat has many facets, but I focused on the well-known story-line where Moses loses his patience and strikes the rock twice to get water after G-d had told him to speak to the rock. I’ve found that there are a couple of great leadership lessons here. On the surface, the takeaway is […]
Sh’lach L’cha – Fear-mongers and Slanderers
Who knew that if you only took the time out to read and think, you would find that the problems we have in society today existed millennia ago! Sh’lach L’cha talks about, among many other things, fear-mongering and slander and their impact on the court of public opinion. The reaction of the Israelites to the […]
B’haalot’kha – It’s Stressful to be a Leader
This coming week’s Torah portion is B’haalot’kha (Numbers 8:1-12:16). The highlights of this portion include a description of the menorah, the assignments of the tribe of Levi as assistants to Aaron and the priests, another description of Passover, and a description of the departure of the tribes from Sinai. Lots of obvious things to sketch […]
Shavuot – The Journey of a Slave People to a Nation of Laws
The Jewish holiday of Shavuot was on May 30 (this year). It’s two-fer holiday. It marks the biblical giving of the “Ten Commandments” at Mt. Sinai. It’s also an ancient harvest holiday that marks the end of the grain harvest. Shavuot means “weeks” and is named such because it marks the end of 7 x […]