A D’var Torah for 2 Elul 5786, 15 August 2026 Parashat Shoftim contains laws concerning judges, kings, prophets, witnesses, cities of refuge, and warfare. It is a parashah deeply concerned with power: who may exercise it, how it must be restrained, and what standards must govern those who possess it.…

Among the great intellectual figures of medieval Judaism, few were as original, ambitious, or controversial as Rabbi Levi ben Gershon, better known by the Hebrew acronym Ralbag—רלב״ג—and in European scholarship as Gersonides. He was at once a biblical commentator, Talmudist, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, and scientific observer. Whereas many scholars specialize…

Judaism is one faith, one covenant, and one religious civilization, but it has never been culturally uniform. A Jew entering a synagogue in Warsaw, Fez, Aleppo, Rome, Sana’a, Tehran, or Cochin would recognize the Torah scroll, the Shema, the Amidah, Shabbat, the festivals, circumcision, marriage, mourning, and the basic structure…

A D’var Torah for 25 Av 5786, 8 August 2026 There are moments in life when the path before us seems perfectly clear. We know what is right, we understand what is expected of us, and we can see the consequences of the choice we are about to make. Yet…

Few figures in Jewish intellectual history occupy a place as uncomfortable, fascinating, and consequential as Baruch Spinoza. To some, he was the first great secular Jew, a courageous defender of reason who refused to surrender his conscience to religious authority. To others, he was an apostate philosopher whose writings denied…

For much of history, Jewish civilization has been described primarily as a civilization of words. Torah, commentary, prayer, poetry, philosophy, law, and storytelling occupy such an important place in Jewish culture that it is easy to imagine Judaism as almost deliberately detached from the visual arts. Christianity filled its churches…

Shabbat is among the most visible and enduring signs of the covenant between God and Israel. It is a weekly sanctuary in time, separating six days of human labor from one day devoted to rest, holiness, worship, family, study, and the recognition that the world ultimately belongs to God. Yet…

A D’var Torah for 18 Av 5786, 1 August 2026 A man once came to synagogue after many years away from Jewish life. He stood near the back, uncertain when to sit, when to stand, and where to find the prayers in the siddur. His Hebrew was poor, and more…

Judaism begins its discussion of sin from a very different place than Christianity. Human beings are not born condemned because of an inherited stain, nor are they naturally incapable of approaching God without an intermediary. We are born morally responsible, possessing both good and destructive inclinations, and capable of choosing…

The young man had practiced his greeting at least twenty times before leaving home. It was supposed to sound casual: “Beautiful evening, isn’t it?” Unfortunately, by the time he reached the vineyards outside Jerusalem, his carefully rehearsed words had become tangled somewhere between his heart and his tongue. When the…