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Jan 24, 2022, 11:49 AM

Deja Vous All Over Again (Jeremiah 34:8-22; 33:25-26)

Parshat Mishpatim is chock -- full of laws. It opens with a discussion of the regulations governing the taking of a Hebrew or Jewish slave. The Torah clearly delineates the limits of how long such a slave can be...

Jan 18, 2022, 9:25 AM

The revelation at Sinai was the most consequential event in the relationship between the children of Israel and God. In it, God, both revealed Himself and the content of His covenant to His people. The rabbinic tradition has spent...

Jan 17, 2022, 11:10 AM

And Her Vision Might Be Clearest of All (Isaiah 6:1-13)

Two prophetic visions from the latter prophets are forever linked liturgically with the revelation of the Torah at Sinai. On Parshat Yitro, we read Isaiah’s vision of the divine throne room where the angels proclaim God’s glory: “Kadosh, kadosh,...

Jan 11, 2022, 10:39 AM

There Is No Greater Exemplar Than God

The rabbinic interpretive tradition thrives on questions and challenges. This approach especially applies to its reading of the Torah. Most often these questions arise from the way the text expresses itself; less often, the sages confront what seems to...

Jan 10, 2022, 4:10 PM

Who is Truly Worthy of Leadership? (Judges 4:4-5:31)

Devorah was an anomaly for the rabbinic tradition. While the Talmud acknowledged a list of women whom it considered prophets (See Megillah 14a), to our knowledge, only Devorah seems to have fulfilled the broader role of prophet, leader and...

Jan 4, 2022, 12:33 PM

The Mind and Body Delusion

The Torah’s wisdom is born of the interaction between God, the Source of the revelation, and the inspired reading of the children of Israel. As we will see, this process is particularly evident in Hasidic interpretation of the Torah...

Jan 3, 2022, 10:54 AM

Evil Will Slink Away Like A Snake (Jeremiah 46:13-28)

During the period that the First Temple was destroyed, Egypt and Babylonia were the two superpowers which faced off against each other, with Judea as the bridge between them. Jeremiah, the prophet of the destruction, deftly discerned that Babylonia...

Dec 28, 2021, 10:23 AM

Don’t Underestimate Your Capabilities

Twice, Moshe discounts his ability to sell his mission to free the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage to his own people, let alone to Pharaoh. On one occasion, he declares to God that he is “heavy mouthed and...

Dec 27, 2021, 7:39 PM

The Corruption of Absolutes (Ezekiel 28:25-29:21)

Maimonides, in his legal classic, the Mishnah Torah, opens his discussion of the Laws of Idolatry with a history of how humanity fell into idolatry. In this introduction, he felt compelled to explain how human beings, who had once...

Dec 21, 2021, 11:27 AM

In Search of the True Tzadik (Righteous One)

One should expect that Moshe’s rise to the role of prophet/king and savior of his people should be caste as extraordinary. He was born in unusual times, under unusual circumstances and if the story, as told in the Torah,...

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About Me

Mordechai Silverstein is a teacher of Torah who has lived in Jerusalem for over 30 years. He specializes in helping people build personalized Torah study programs.