Corporate Torah

Shabbat Lech-L’cha Dvar Torah - Hearing the call God tells Abraham to leave his homeland and everything familiar to journey to the land that He will show him. This is how the story of the Jewish people begins. But why does it begin here? The Torah has just recorded ten full generations from Noah — so why does God now choose Abraham to begin His chosen nation? The Sefat Emet explains that more than Abraham being chosen , Abraham listened and answered . Hashem, as it were, was calling out to the entire world: “Lech Lecha” — go forth! Embark on a spiritual journey! Move toward a new land and a new destiny. Abraham possessed such character and spiritual greatness that even at the age of seventy he was still listening for the call — still yearning to draw closer to God and to bring more goodness into the world. He was willing to leave everything he knew behind to strive for something greater — and because he listened, the call became his. We are the descendants of Abraham, and his...

Shabbat Noach Dvar Torah Last week’s portion, Bereishit , ends on a somber note. The beautiful world God created for man has fallen into chaos and moral corruption. Only Noah remains righteous, commanded to build an ark to save himself and his family from the coming flood. The Torah details the ark’s specifications, including a mysterious Tzohar . Rashi offers two interpretations of the Tzohar : a window to the outside or a glowing gemstone. We can suggest that these are not merely architectural options but symbolize two essential dimensions of Noah’s experience. Once the flood began, Noah could no longer save the world outside—but he also could not turn a blind eye to its suffering. Awareness of that destruction was part of his moral integrity. At the same time, Noah needed an inner light to sustain hope and goodness amid surrounding darkness. The Tzohar thus represents the tension between awareness and resilience. Our task as Noah’s descendants is to live in that balance—to r...

Parsha Bereishit Dvar Torah This week we begin a new cycle of Torah reading with Bereishit — the timeless stories of creation. When God creates humanity in His image, He places Adam in the Garden of Eden “to work it and to guard it.” Rav Aharon Lichtenstein taught that the Torah here reveals a profound truth: work is not a necessary evil or even a neutral activity, but an essential part of human existence. “To place the human imprint on nature is part of God’s mandate…it is part of our responsibility, part of our task.” Through our work, we develop our character, contribute to society, and emulate God Himself, who modeled the value of creative labor in forming the world. We can suggest that it follows that our professional lives are not spiritually neutral. They are a form of Avodat Hashem — divine service. When we enter the workplace, we are fulfilling a dimension of what God expects of us as His creations. Yet this also means that the workplace carries moral and spiritual r...

Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah PJA (Public Jewish announcement) Upon hearing exceptionally good news of spiritual and material importance, it is customary to recite a blessing in recognition and thanksgiving of the moment. Such is the joy and gravity of what we have seen today, that many Rabbinic authorities have mandated this blessing upon hearing the good tidings of the hostages return to Israel. Hebrew transliteration:   Baruch atah Ado-nai Elo-heinu melekh ha’olam, shehechiyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higianu lazman hazeh! English translation: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion. It is also recommended to recite the Hallel prayer ( link ) – which is recited today as part of the Sukkot liturgy. Dvar Torah Today is the final day of Sukkot — Hoshanna Rabba — a day literally meaning  “the great cry for salvation.” We’ve come a long way over these past two months. We’ve said...

Shabbat Chol Hamoed Sukkot Dvar Torah On the Shabbat of Sukkot, we read the Scroll of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet), which explores the perpetual question of the purpose of human existence. Again and again, the author wrestles with this question, contradicting himself and often concluding that “all is futile” — that what was will be, and there is nothing new under the sun. The book is so perplexing that the Talmud (Shabbat 30b) relates how the sages even considered excluding it from the biblical canon, but that its saving grace lies in its ending: “The sum of the matter, when all has been considered: Fear God and keep His commandments, for that is man’s whole duty.” (12:13) In Chapter 3, the author reflects that “there is a time for everything” — a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time for war and a time for peace. Yet, true to the spirit of Ecclesiastes, even when we know there is a time and place for all things, we so easily misread the moment...

Sukkot Dvar Torah Sukkot is my favorite holiday. We come out of Yom Kippur pure as snow and set out with new resolve to the new year. The streets are noisy with the banging of the hammer building Sukkahs and people running to get their lulav and etrog. Where I live it’s as normal to see someone tying down wooden planks on top of their car as it is to get milk in the grocery store. But the Torah doesn’t expect us just to be happy, but explicitly tells us that this joy is to be shared together with those less fortunate - the widows, orphan, the landless and others. The four species (lulav etrog etc.) which the midrash teaches as representing different parts of the Jewish people, are only valid when bound and held together. The sukkah itself is built outdoors and brings us closer to our neighbors. Sukkot is a holiday of communal joy and strengthening our communal bonds. It’s a holiday of finding happiness together in the things we hold dear. Chag Sameach!  

Shabbat Haazinu Dvar Torah This week’s Torah portion, Haazinu, is a Shirah—literally, a “song.” But it’s not a gentle, feel-good melody. It’s a stark and haunting prophecy, foretelling the dark chapters of Jewish history and affirming that even those, too, have their place in the divine story. Anyone who grew up in the States probably knows the phone number for  Empire Today :  1-800-588-2300  – the jingle played for years, and you’ll remember their number whether you like it or not (you’ll probably also remember that they do next-day window treatments too). That’s the power of music: it imprints ideas not just on our minds but deep within our consciousness, in a way plain words just can’t. It shapes what we remember—whether something trivial or something profound. Haazinu is not a happy song, but it is an essential one. As we near the conclusion of the Torah, it stands as one final reminder set to endure throughout the generations, that through all the rises and falls of...

Yom Kippur 5786 We come into Yom Kippur often feeling unprepared. It is the holiest day of the year—the day when the Holy of Holies was once opened—and we, mere flesh and blood, enter the synagogue and proclaim in the ancient melody: Ashamnu – we are guilty; Bagadnu – we have betrayed . As individuals, as communities, and as a people, we confess that we have fallen short. By speaking these words aloud, we do more than admit our failings—we declare our resolve to do better and ask for a second chance. At its core, Yom Kippur is the day of second chances. The very first Yom Kippur was when the Jewish People were forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf, and Moses brought down the second tablets. Each year, just before Kol Nidre , the congregation formally invites the avaryanim – those who have ruptured our society causing harm and pain - to rejoin us. Every one of us, without exception, is welcomed back and given the opportunity for a clean slate. A story is told of Reb Avraham Y...