Torah Portion

Parashat Pinchas: Every Jew is torn between hope and history

Moses does not stand alone on Nevo – we stand with him. Together, we gaze toward a future we build but may never fully enter. Together with him, many Jews look toward a land they may never cross.

 An illustrative image of a man in a robe on a mountaintop with the sun shining.

Parashat Pinchas: Zealotry: The impetus to do the right thing

 Phinehas slaying Zimri and Kozbi, Jeremias van Winghe (1578–1645).

Parashat Balak: Others’ privacy is sacrosanct

 Balaam and the donkey

Parashat Chukat: Simple faith

 The red heifers brought to Israel from Texas.

Parashat Chukat: Red ashes, endless skies

The war with Iran was something else entirely. It was swift. It was decisive. It was beyond imagination. It felt branded by God Himself.

 REMAINS OF a ballistic missile fired from Iran in the recent war, June 29, 2025.

Parashat Korah: ‘An elevated place in Gehenna’

What is repentance? It is a small, good thought filled with love – the kind of thought that saved the sons of Korah from a tragic fate; a moment of introspection that can save any Jew from harm.

 ‘THE PUNISHMENT of the Sons of Korah’ by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1481-1482.

Parashat Shelach: Seeing giants, choosing hope

The 10 spies teach us what happens when fear rules the heart. The ma’apilim teach us of the danger of forcing reality to revive an old fantasy.

 An illustrative image of a grasshopper.

Parashat Shelach: Believe in yourselves

The Torah recounts the argument that erupted between the 10 pessimistic spies and Joshua and Caleb, the two optimistic ones.

 The Grapes of Canaan by James Tissot (circa 1900). Although the 12 spies brought back a cluster of grapes so large that it took two men to carry it, only two of the 12 brought back a good report of the land.

Parashat Beha’alotcha: The call of humility

We are all entitled to even the strongest of our beliefs and opinions. And yet, we should never be so sure of what we think that we are not open to a different voice, a different opinion.

 OUR FINITENESS can never completely comprehend the infinite

Parashat Beha’alotcha: Yes to speaking up, no to hurting!

Speak up! Share your opinion! Try to bring about change – but not through gossip and not with hurtful words.

 An illustrative image depicting gossip.

Parshat Naso: Rich people’s problems

When you live a life filled with meaning, spiritual fulfillment ... you receive a remarkable gift: a profound inner peace and emotional serenity that no material wealth can offer.

 An illustrative image of businessmen jumping across a chasm for money.

Parashat Bamidbar: In memory of Sarah Milgrim

Sara Milgrim: A life of quiet strength, compassion, and fierce faith. May her legacy inspire us to carry her light through the wilderness.

 Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

Parashat Bamidbar: ‘Each man by his banner’

The many hardships endured by the Israelites during their desert journey could have been greatly reduced had the nation learned to appreciate what they had.

 EVERYONE IS rooted in his place

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai: Live and let live 

The only halachic ruling that was ever given is that “your life comes first” – and nothing beyond that.

 WHOSE LIFE comes first?