Parshat Hashavua Of foxes and forests I was recently in an area that was severely hit by fire over the last few years. At first, all I could see, all I…David LazarJuly 29, 2020
Blessings Birkat Ha’ilanot Yesterday was Rosh Hodesh Nissan, the first of the Hebrew month of Nissan. There is a wonderful blessing traditionally recited this month – and only…David LazarMarch 27, 2020
Uncategorized Parshat Trumah, 5780 – Creating Sacred Space "And they shall make Me a tabernacle, that I may abide in their midst…" (Ex. 25:8) This verse poses a hermeneutical challenge: We are just…David LazarFebruary 26, 2020
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Mishpatim, 5780 I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have made ready.…David LazarFebruary 19, 2020
Parshat Hashavua Yitro 5780: All Alone Because we are so familiar with the story of Moses at Sinai, sometimes it’s hard for us to remember that at the top of the…David LazarFebruary 11, 2020
Parshat Hashavua Parshat B’shalah 5780 We have now reached the stage in the Exodus narrative of the Israelites actually leaving Egypt. In this Black History Month, I suggest we all…David LazarFebruary 5, 2020
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Va’era, 5780 – Miracles Then and Now With this week’s Torah portion comes the beginning of the Exodus story, including the first seven of the ten plagues. These are presented as an…David LazarJanuary 21, 2020
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Sh’mot, 5780 – In Praise of Donkeys As we return once again to the book of Exodus, we see the Israelites suffering in bondage under Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We are reminded…David LazarJanuary 14, 2020
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Vayehi, 5780 Here we are, at the end of the book of Genesis, the book of our ancestral origins. Genesis tells us the very partial stories of…David LazarJanuary 8, 2020
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Vayigash, 5780 – In Praise of Tending Sheep As we near the end of our annual reading of Genesis, with Ya’akov finally getting to see his beloved son Yosef, with the brothers reunited…David LazarDecember 31, 2019