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
Uncategorized Maoz Tzur at Hanukkah So many of us grew up and still sing the words of Maoz Tzur, a hymn probably written in the 13th century, at a time…David LazarDecember 26, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Shabbat Hanukah 5780 You may have heard that we have multiple sources to explain why we celebrate Hanukah for eight days. The best known and most popular version,…David LazarDecember 24, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Pride and Persecution – Nature or Nurture? Parshat Vayeshev 5780 I've been writing about key words in the last few portions of the Torah. This week I would like to focus upon two key motifs…David LazarDecember 18, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Vayishlach That same night he arose, and taking his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, he crossed the ford of the Yabbok. After…David LazarDecember 11, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Vayetzei, 5773 One of our rabbinic traditions (Vayikra Rabbah 7:3) stipulates that a child’s biblical education should begin with the book of Leviticus: “Let the pure ones…David LazarDecember 4, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Toldot, 5780 Yitzhak pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord responded to his plea, and his wife Rivkah…David LazarNovember 27, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Hayei Sarah, 5780 Genesis 23:2 Sarah died in Kiryat Arba - now Hevron - in the land of Canaan; And Abraham proceeded/came to mourn for Sarah and…David LazarNovember 20, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Second Chances – Parshat Vayera, 5780 Last week, we saw some pretty poor behavior on the part of Sarai, Avram and even God. It was, after all, Sarai's idea to give…David LazarNovember 13, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Seeing, Hearing and Speaking, Eyes, Ears and Mouths: Sarai, Avram and Hagar This week’s Torah portion contains one of the more challenging tales of our ancestors and how we might NOT want to learn from them how…David LazarNovember 6, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Confusion and Babbling – Parshat Noah Tucked toward the end of this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Noah, is a wonderful example of narrative artistry, the story of the tower of…David LazarOctober 30, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Adam, One and Many As we begin again the annual cycle of reading the Torah, we are reminded that our Torah, like much of the Jewish literary tradition, speaks…David LazarOctober 24, 2019
Parshat HashavuaUncategorized Kohelet, the biblical book of Ecclesiastes There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge…David LazarOctober 16, 2019
Parshat Hashavua Parshat Vayelech – A message from Rabbi David Lazar We are now rapidly approaching the end of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses' second rendition of the Torah. We read about the leader’s final days,…David LazarOctober 2, 2019
Parshat Hashavua A Message from Rabbi David Lazar In this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, Moses begins to sum up what it means to be a people of God: I call heaven and earth…David LazarSeptember 24, 2019