Parshah Columnists

"How do we break 'out of the box' and not end up like Mr. Smith, suggesting dumb ideas to the fisherman? Jethro, our parshah’s titular character, knew the answer"

Jethro (or Yitro or Yisro) was a Midianite priest and the father-in-law of Moses. He is mentioned three times in the Pentateuch, once in the Prophets and in numerous places in rabbinic literature. Let us learn what we can about this fascinating figure.

On my first trip to Israel in 1978, my traveling companion wanted to climb Mt. Sinai . . .

If G-d transcends all limitation and definition, and religion is a set of laws and rituals and a list of things that one must or must not do, why would the way to relate to G-d be to impose further restriction and definition on our already finite and constricted lives?

Kabbalah was bursting colorfully in the air like a fireworks display...

Why did the Almighty choose the imagery of an eagle to describe His love for and providence over us? One question - five explanations

If G‑d was trying to give His best credentials to His newly acquired nation, why would He choose to mention the exodus? Isn't the creation of the heavens and earth a far greater feat?

We are a nation that argues. A lot.

Do you ever fantasize about making a bold change in your life, perhaps starting a new career or moving to another city?

Yitro was a leader, scholar and a mystic; Moses was a fugitive on the run, and had not yet had a G-dly revelation. Yitro was an idolater, Moses a monotheist. How did the two get along?

Rabbinic enactments take us beyond the strict letter of the law, reflecting the deep, innate Jewish desire to cleave to God's ways.

For generations, the commentators have struggled with this story. : Why would Moses not have come to this realization on his own?

Sinai was a spiritual revelation that changed the way the Jews perceived the meaning of existence.

“My children are constantly fighting with each other,” laments Susan, a mother of three. “Will there ever be peace in my home?”

The Ten Commandments lay the foundation for our relationship with G‑d and our fellow man. Here’s how . . .

In our nation's 3,300 year history, G‑d has directly addressed us exactly once. In doing so, G‑d also left us a perfect prototype to follow on those occasions when we really want our words to be taken seriously...

Do we accept the Ten Commandments as G-d's message and an absolute moral code? Maybe we should read them again...

Even while he sits at the supper table, a careful look at the businessman’s expression, at the thoughtfulness in his eyes, reveals that the affairs of his business are very much on his mind . . .

The Ten Commandments must be relevant enough to make a difference in our lives; otherwise, whom did G‑d say them to and whatever for?

It's one thing not to steal the stuff; but not even to desire it? Really now, isn’t G-d being somewhat unreasonable with this one?

"Ya Habibi!" cried a stubbly-cheeked vendor with a checkered headdress, "but first let us have tea..."

G-d tells us that the effect of our special relationship with Him is that we will become a "Kingdom of Priests." What does this phrase mean?

More than 3,300 years ago, the Torah was given on Mount Sinai. This was a truly intense experience, a revolution in human consciousness! At the same time there is also a developmental aspect to the Giving of the Torah...

Did Moses have trouble delegating responsibility? Was he afraid to let others help him?

I felt it on the day before my wedding, when I became a father, before I accepted my first pulpit position and before my first public lecture... I've come to view my apprehension as an assurance that the endeavor upon which I am about to embark is worthwhile

Many view comparisons between the holocaust and other tragedies as trivializing the holocaust. Is this indeed the case?

What would be the point of going to Mount Sinai if not to receive the Torah? What other point is there in being there? After all, at this particular mountain there is neither food, nor water, nor skiing . . .

Access seems like an innocent enough word, and an uninspiring enough concept. After all, it suggests that the giver of access created nothing of his or her own, and merely distributed the products of someone else’s genius. But, in fact, an increase in accessibility has been behind some of the world’s greatest transformations and revolutions.

A lesson for relationships from the marriage between G‑d and Israel.

The first two Commandments discuss the belief in One G-d and having no other gods. The Unity of G-d, however, is realized in the material world through the unity of the Jewish people

The Tenth Commandment is somewhat difficult: most other commandments involve control or regulation of actual physical acts -- this one encroaches on our very thoughts

We all have different personas that we don for public viewing; different from the way we think of ourselves when at home alone.

“Who took you out of Egypt”? Talk about sweating the small details! What about “who created heaven and earth”? Surely stage-managing the Exodus doesn’t even approach His role as designer and creator of the universe!

Just as a guarantor for a loan knows that he can be called on at any time to make good his pledge, so too we've got to educate children to appreciate and live up to their responsibilities...

G‑d started off perfect and hasn't changed since; we're the ones who need to shape up. We're the people who should be setting off on the great journey that starts on earth and ends at Sinai. Why should we expect G‑d to come down to us?

If He wanted us to live up to—and be inspired by—a full set of ten expressions, why did He deliver them in shorthand?

The classic case, Ministering Angels v. Moses, reported in the Talmud, has been public knowledge for millennia. Only recently, however, has the complete story come to light. Here is the entire dialogue as reconstructed from some of the declassified transcripts.

To explain that, I would need a long conversation with you about what is G-d and how G-d talks to people and why....

Commonly perceived as a concession to the weaker gender by the stronger, the rule is actually founded upon a very different rationale

The princess up in the grandstand catches your eye and is about to indicate the door leading to life and bliss. But at that moment Mr. Philosopher appears at her elbow...

Billions of people have heard of the Ten Commandments. Less common, however, is the knowledge that this 10-point encapsulation of G-d's message to man reads in two directions: from top to bottom, and from side to side

The alcoholic in recovery can easily understand that there is a special quality of wisdom that comes about only after all else has failed.

Only in Judaism was G‑d’s self-disclosure not to an individual (a prophet) or a group (the elders) but to an entire nation, young and old, men, women and children, the righteous and not-yet-righteous alike.

The Ten Commandments are the most famous religious-and-moral code in history. It is worth remembering, of course, that the “ten commandments” are not Ten Commandments.

Honoring parents acknowledges our human createdness. It tells us that not everything that matters is the result of our choice, chief of which is the fact that we exist at all. Other people’s choices matter, not just our own.

“In the place where a person’s will is, that is where he is.”

In our relationships, it is not enough to follow the letter of the law, doing just what is expected. You need to have a heart and be a mentch. You need to love your spouse in every way.

It’s a lovely Wednesday summer afternoon in South Africa and I’m sitting at my desk thinking about what to write for my upcoming column…