PARSHA POSTS: BEHAALOTCHA

Apply for a Blog

Jul 18, 2024, 5:19 PM

The mission statement of mankind

Not all those who wander are lost School's out, summer’s started, and everyone is going somewhere for the holidays. Though it might seem that our destination choices are random, Jewish spirituality teaches us that our itineraries are carefully crafted by...

Jun 25, 2024, 6:12 PM

Jews – the Eternal People?

Beha’alotecha, a recent parsha (Torah selection), prominently mentions the Menorah, with its seven gold branches on a large lamp stand. The Menorah is the most prominent symbol of Judaism and Israel; it is featured on Israel’s emblem. The original...

Tzvi Gleiberman

Jun 23, 2024, 3:58 PM

The Torah isn’t Linear

A “Second Pesach” was instituted in response to the petition of; “why should we be deprived” by a group of Jews who were unable to bring the Pesach offering in its appointed time because they were ritually impure. Yet why is it God’s “fault”? There was an...

William Hamilton

Jun 21, 2024, 6:03 PM

Your Compass Can Do Wonders for Your Compassion

A story from the Talmud. Reports came of a devastating shipwreck. Rabbi Akiba had been on board. R. Gamliel began to grieve. A short time later, Akiba appeared ashore, approached Gamliel, and sat down to join him in study....

Jun 21, 2024, 5:20 PM

Two Types of Leadership (Beha’alotecha, Covenant & Conversation)

In this week’s parsha, Moses has a breakdown. It is the lowest emotional ebb of his entire career as a leader. Listen to his words to God: “Why have You treated Your servant so badly? Why have I found so little...

Jun 21, 2024, 12:01 PM

We are stronger than we think

Friends and family attend the funeral of IDF soldier Tzur Avraham at the military cemetery in Modi'in, June 16, 2024. (Jonathan Shaul/ Flash90)

At this time of broken illusions, Israel's sojourn in the desert shows that the gap between the real and ideal is part of Jewish DNA (Beha'alotcha)

Ben-Tzion Spitz

Jun 20, 2024, 11:43 PM

Food’s Spiritual Levels (Behaalotcha)

Not eating meat is a decision, eating meat is an instinct. -Denis Leary The Children of Israel complain several times during their desert journey. At one point they’ve had enough of the miraculous manna they’ve been eating. They cry for...

Pinchas Goldschmidt

Jun 20, 2024, 5:44 PM

Biggest, Strongest, Best Connected? In Judaism, it’s Knowledge that Makes the Leader

What makes a leader? In some cultures, leadership – of government, institutions, or even in the realm of thought or ideas – is restricted to those individuals who, often by virtue of their birth, affiliation, wealth, or connections are...

Jun 20, 2024, 9:59 AM

Off on the Road Home!

Did you ever read a book or see a movie about a voyage or an adventure, and it seems like it takes forever for the journey to get going? In Herman Melville’s great novel Moby Dick, they don’t actually...

Jun 20, 2024, 6:12 AM

Torah is for all Jews, not just the religious ones

Protesters outside a hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, on the government's drafting of ultra-Orthodox men, on February 26, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Israel cannot bring its light to the world while fighting an existential war, whether against Hamas or internally (Beha'alotcha)

Load more