What’s a Mitzvah?
“What is a mitzvah?” I was asked this week. “What does it really mean?” my questioner added. They had already …
Category Archives: commandments
Be Kind! (a personal summary of 53 Torah laws)
Ah, Mishpatim. The Torah portion we love to hate, because it’s got the verse about an eye for an eye, …
The Truth About the Torah? It’s Complicated
Laws, laws, laws. The Torah is stuffed with them. Some make perfect sense and help us to be better people, …
“You Shall Not Judge Unfairly”
“You shall not judge unfairly… Justice, justice you shall pursue.” If I was asked to sum up the Torah in ten …
Pathways of Blessing
This week’s Torah portion is one of the most difficult to deal with. It’s so hard to take that when …
Showing Up For Shabbat – Together
This is the sermon I gave at our #ShowUpForShabbat service. We have gathered here tonight, so many members of our …
“You must not remain indifferent”
A small group was discussing the many commandments in this week’s Torah portion, and a phrase seemed to jump off …
Holy Speech
The Bible may be a massive volume with more than 600 commandments, but for me, its message is encapsulated in …
“Don’t be a jerk”
“If you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” The quotation is from Abraham Lincoln, but it could …
The Meaning of Torah
A young friend told me the other day that he is confused, because someone told him the word Torah means …
SRQ Jew 