91快播

Never Too Late to Get Close

Aug 12, 2022 By Benjy Forester | Commentary | Va'et-hannan

From a young age, I knew I was supposed to like Neil Young. The stereo was turned up whenever his signature falsetto voice came on the radio, and before my bar mitzvah I was taken to see the 2006 documentary concert/film Neil Young: Heart of Gold. My initiation was complete with my first Neil concert […]

Moses鈥檚 Retirement Speech

Aug 5, 2022 By Raymond Scheindlin | Commentary | Devarim

Deuteronomy, which we begin reading this week, is devoted to Moses鈥檚 farewell to his people. Deuteronomy is preeminently Moses鈥檚 book; in it, Moses mostly speaks in his own voice, so that instead of the ever-recurring third-person opening line 鈥淎nd the Lord spoke to Moses . . .,鈥� we read 鈥淭he Lord spoke to me鈥� (Deut. 2:2). Deuteronomy contains not one but a series of farewell speeches and prophetic poems in which Moses recalls the forty years since the Exodus from Egypt and looks ahead to the future in the promised land.

The Liberator and the Zealot

Jul 22, 2022 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Commentary | Pinehas

In his recently published book, The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom, H.W. Brands contrasts the attitudes of Brown and Lincoln toward slavery, and the methods used by each to end it. In doing so, he makes the case that the terms 鈥渓iberator鈥� and 鈥渮ealot鈥� accurately encapsulate the role of each in abolishing slavery.

The Thrill and the Terror of the Foreign Prophet

Jul 15, 2022 By Aaron Koller | Commentary | Balak

Prophecy among the nations fascinated and terrified ancient Jews. It must exist: If there is only one God, God of the whole world, why should divine inspiration be limited to the members of one nation? There is no reason that God cannot speak with the Greeks through an oracle or the Arameans through seers just as he spoke to the Israelites through their prophets. But while prophecy among other peoples testifies to the universality and all-encompassing power of God, does it not also challenge the uniqueness of Israel?

What if Moses Was Supposed to Hit the Rock?

Jul 8, 2022 By Ilana Zietman | Commentary | Hukkat

In trying to make sense of the infamous 鈥淢oses-hitting-the-rock鈥� episode in this week鈥檚 parashah, one can find an overwhelming number of attempts to explain why Moses (and Aaron) are punished with the Divine decree that they will die before entering the Promised Land. It is a perfect example of 鈥淭urn it and turn it for all is in it鈥� (Pirkei Avot 5:22). The catalyst for so much interpretive work is that here, God鈥檚 reason for punishing Moses and Aaron appears particularly unclear and therefore, unfair.

Your Authority Is an Illusion

Jul 1, 2022 By Joshua Rabin | Commentary | Korah

Every time I read this parashah, the hypothetical questions I ponder are endless: What exactly is wrong about Korah鈥檚 critique of Moshe? Would the Israelites not make it to Canaan if they were led by someone else other than Moshe? However, a deeper exploration of the parashah reveals that our tradition wants us to focus less on the hypotheticals and more on the powerful statement about leadership made by choosing Moshe and rejecting Korah.

Mapping our Love

Jun 22, 2022 By Brent Chaim Spodek | Commentary | Shelah Lekha

Moses had no idea what he was getting into.

It wasn鈥檛 just when he was talking to shrubbery and confronting tyrants at the beginning of his journey that he was in the dark about what his future held. Even deep into his leadership, even after he had weathered rebellion and despair, even after he had personal encounters with the Divine, he had no idea what was coming next.

How Should One Shine One鈥檚 Light?

Jun 17, 2022 By Luciana Pajecki Lederman | Commentary | Beha'alotekha

In the past few years, technology and social media specialists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers have been discussing the ubiquity of distraction in our modern lives. As Joshua Rothman puts it, 鈥渓ike typing, Googling, and driving, distraction is now a universal competency. We鈥檙e all experts鈥� (The New Yorker, June 16, 2015).These specialists have been warning us about the personal perils of distraction to our learning, professional performance, financial stability, creativity, mental health, social skills and civic engagement, and even to our physical lives. And as should be expected, some suggest strategies to 鈥渞eclaim attention鈥� in this age of distraction.