Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

My father rarely spoke about his experiences in the army during World War II.  I know about the Purple Heart that collected dust in his dresser drawer and the remains of the bullet the field surgeons extracted from his back. What else do I know about his years in the army?  I know he didn’t like military discipline.  My father was anything but a radical, but the idea of following orders, especially illogical ones, did not suit his anti-authoritarian temperament.  Read more...

Shavuot is a principal example of a festival that was shaped by the victory of Rabbinic Judaism over other forms. It is first described, in the Torah, as the festival of the conclusion of the first fruits, brought to the Temple for the 49 days after Passover.  Read more...

Three weeks before the outbreak of the Six Day War and the capture of Jerusalem from Jordanian rule, Shuli Natan sang the poem “Jerusalem of Gold” by Naomi Shemer at the Israeli Music Festival on May 15, 1967. The refrain is a reminder of our connection to the Holy City, “Jerusalem of gold, and of copper, and of light, behold, I am a violin for all your songs.”  Read more...

Nobody makes something from nothing, not even God. But God molds the tohu va-vohu, the chaos swirling in the deep, and -- miraculous to say! -- life emerges.   Life is simple at first, then complex. Reflexive at first, then conscious. Life becomes.   It takes all that love, all that power, all that guidance, but life does emerge, waddle, and walk.   Mother, my own creator: Read more...

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