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Sharona Margolin Halickman

Jan 18, 2018, 11:35 PM

Moshe Rabbeinu, Harriet Tubman & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let my people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go! Go down Moses, Way down in Egypt’s land Tell old Pharaoh To Let my people go! Many of us are familiar with “Go Down Moses”, the...

Shammai Engelmayer

Jan 11, 2018, 6:19 PM

Create a better world – make acts of kindness contagious

On the penultimate Sunday of 2017, CBS Sunday Morning carried a report by the network’s national correspondent, Lee Cowan, about the beneficial aspects of kindness. That piece of reporting should be played, discussed, and acted upon in every classroom, in...

Jan 11, 2018, 3:24 PM

Cynics’ Sabbath

Political hypocrisy wasn't invented in Israel, at least not this week. But 48 hours may be a new record for turning on a ten-agora piece. Just two days ago, the so-called Mini-Markets Law was passed by a 58-57 vote in...

David Seidenberg

Jan 11, 2018, 12:47 PM

Pharaoh’s heart: A tragedy of our time

We encounter two very different Pharaohs over eight weeks of Torah readings. Why won't the second Pharaoh of Exodus "learn his lesson", change, or be changed? Is it just because God forces him to refuse, "in order to multiply...

Jan 6, 2018, 9:44 AM

What is in a name?: Thoughts on Parahat Sh’mot and observance of Yahrtzeit

Names both distinguish us from each other and also can denote our relationships one to the other. This week we begin the reading of the Book of Exodus, which is called The Book of Names — Shemot — in Hebrew...

William Hamilton

Jan 5, 2018, 10:11 PM

Expect more in 2018

Seventh graders were asked to draft an essay on a personal hero. Teachers separated their papers into two piles. Atop the papers in the first pile was a note, “I’m giving you these comments so that you’ll have feedback...

Jan 5, 2018, 12:15 AM

Shemot’s Rebels with a Cause: What Makes Might?

The Book of Exodus starts with contrasting narratives of fear-mongering and cruelty, and courageous acts of compassion. A new Pharaoh rises to rule Egypt. He chooses to ignore that Yosef the Hebrew turned Egypt into the world’s sole superpower. ...

Ben-Tzion Spitz

Jan 4, 2018, 3:29 PM

Shmot: Enlightenment comes in stages

Enlightenment must come little by little-otherwise it would overwhelm. -Idries Shah Moses, while tending his father-in-law’s sheep in the desert, sees a strange and wondrous sight. He notices a tree on fire, but for some reason, the tree is not consumed...

Jan 4, 2018, 3:26 PM

God loves those who argue

Jeremiah dictates his prophecy to Baruch. Illustration by Gustave Doré (Wikimedia Commons)

In Judaism, a 'safe space' is a place to dissent, as Moses does, for the sake of truth, instead of mere victory (Shemot)

Jan 4, 2018, 1:35 PM

Narcissism, humility and leadership [Parshat Shemot]

It is “received wisdom” that successful leaders must possess a certain level of ego and degree of narcissism in order to survive the rigors of leadership. After all, who in their right mind could believe he or she has...

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