Torah Commentary

Does God Get Inside Your Head?

By Bill Dauster   This week’s Torah portion is Yitro: Exodus 18:1–20:23 Does God follow our thoughts? In this week’s Torah reading, among the Ten Commandments, God commands...

Rewriting Noah: The Al-Aqsa Flood

By Rabbi Lance J. Sussman Parshat Noah My original intention was to write a very different column about this week’s Torah portion, Noah. But the massive,...

The Blast of the Shofar

Rabbi Andrew Busch Rosh Hashanah What approach might best call a group of humans to attention? It is an ancient and ongoing question. Throughout history, all...

Preparing for the High Holy Days

By Rabbi Jennifer Weiner This week’s Torah portion is Nitzavim-Vayelech, Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30. In ancient times, gatherings were matters of both ritual and commerce. Torah is read...

Deuteronomy’s Ode to Joy

Rabbi Laurie E. Green This week’s Torah portion is Ki Tavo: Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8. Judaism is about joy. I don’t know about you, but that’s something I...

How to be the Enemy of Indifference

By Rabbi Michael Werbow This week’s Torah portion is Ki Tetze, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19. At a certain point in a child’s development, they latch onto the concept...

The Necessity of Sanctuary

Rabbi Lizz Goldstein This week’s Torah portion is Shoftim, Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. This week’s Torah portion includes the commandments for sanctuary cities: “Thus blood of the innocent...

Why Help Those in Need?

Bill Dauster This week’s Torah portion is Re’eh, Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17. What duty do we owe the poor? This week’s Torah reading discusses tithes, the Sabbatical year, and...

The Torah of Son House

Rabbi Neil A. Tow This week’s Torah portion is Ekev, Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25. “I woke up this morning, feeling ‘round for my shoes / Know...

Moses Enters His Own Promised Land

Rabbi Fabian Werbin This week’s Torah portion is Va’etchanan, Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. I invite you, the readers of the Torah text, to momentarily set aside whatever preconceptions...