Category: Year
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Mishpatim 5776: “Quality Time vs. Quantity Time”
A humorous email was distributed this past week that compiled a “true dictionary” for the those working in the non-profit sector. Some examples from the email: If you see a job description that says, “Looking for a self-directed…
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Yitro 5776: “Big Questions or Hard Questions: On the Purposes of Jewish Leadership”
A father once sat down with the young man his daughter was planning to marry. They had not yet met and the father wished to learn more about the man who would become his son-in-law. “You…
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Bo 5776: “Pharaoh vs. Powerball”
They say a lottery is a tax on those who aren’t good at math. If that’s true, then that’s a tax that I really ought to pay. Nonetheless I did not buy a lottery ticket (I’m…
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VaYechi 5776: “Jewish Unity and Its Discontents”
This past Tuesday morning, students at forty Jewish high schools across North America gathered together, using video conferencing technology, and marked the completion of the study of the entire Mishnah. A collective learning project, a siyum, of this…
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VaYeshev 5776: “Whodunit?”
A terrible crime takes place in this week’s parasha. Who is guilty? The crime is the kidnapping and sale of Yosef. Few crimes are as cruel and the Torah itself includes a severe punishment for one who…
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VaYetzei 5776: “My Father Was a Syrian Refugee”
“Many of those who seek entrance into this country have little concept of our form of government. Many of them come from lands where [a dangerous ideology] had its first growth and dominates the political thought…
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Toldot 5776: “Prophetic Ambiguity”
David Ben Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel was a short man but a larger than life figure. In addition to an outsized role in Israel’s first governments, he was a dominant figure in Israel’s…
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Chayei Sara 5776: “Sovereignty and Sanctity”
Consider Avraham as a very old man, a widower, following the death of his beloved wife. Had Avraham been faithful to his covenant with God? Without a doubt. He left his birthplace, his homeland, and his father’s…
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Vayera 5776: “The Courage of Our Convictions”
In the years of hosting guests at my Shabbat and yom tov table, my greatest regret is that I never kicked anyone out of my house. Allow me to explain. I first enrolled as a student at…
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Ha’Azinu 5776: “Holy Guacamole”
I have a halakhic riddle. But before I ask the riddle I need to provide some background information. The year that just recently ended, 5775, was a shemita year, a Sabbatical year, when many times of…
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld 