What and Whom Are You Letting In? In this week’s Parsha, the Jewish people stand at the edge of a new chapter. They’re about to enter the Land of Israel after 40 years of wandering in the desert. Just before G-d commands them to go in, He gives them a very specific warning:You will drive […]

Delta Force and You The following incident about the unique training required by the Army’s most elite special forces unit was recorded by Eric Haney in his book Inside Delta Force. I had covered just slightly over thirty miles by now, but still had more than twenty to go. It was getting more and more difficult […]

Finding Meaning in the Journey Why does the Torah contain a detailed travelog of the journeys of the Jews in the desert? Beginning with the exodus from Egypt, it lists the name of each destination along the way as well as some recollections. Being as the Land of Israel was their ultimate and final destination, […]

You shall designate cities for yourselves, cities of refuge shall they be for you, and a murderer shall flee there—one who takes a life unintentionally. (Numbers 35:11)  Involuntary manslaughter is something we take seriously. If an axe head becomes dislodged and kills an innocent bystander, the chopper/killer must quickly escape to one of the three cities of refuge […]

The following incident about the unique training required by the Army’s most elite special forces unit was recorded by Eric Haney in his book Inside Delta Force.I had covered just slightly over thirty miles by now, but still had more than twenty to go. It was getting more and more difficult to do speed computations in […]

 The first three-point shooting contest was in 1986 at the NBA All-Star game in Dallas; eight all-stars were selected for the competition. The Celtics’ Larry Bird was known as a trash talker. When he walked into the locker room as one of the competitors he asked, “which one of you guys is going to finish […]

One of the subjects discussed in this week’s Torah portion is the punishment for involuntary manslaughter, which is banishment to a city of refuge. You shall designate cities for yourselves… and a murderer shall flee there one who takes a life unintentionally. (Numbers 35:11) For example, if an axe head slips out of its handle (while chopping) […]

Moses had been the consummate conciliator for the past 40 years. From the sin of the Golden Calf when he appeased G-d and throughout the many ordeals during the 40-year desert sojourn, he is constantly an advocate for the wishes of his nation. This week, however, Moses reacts totally different to what appears to be […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Matot-Masay (Numbers 30-36) Forks Over Knives; Voices and Choices …but it must be purified with purifying waters. (31:23) One of the cryptic aspects of Jewish observance is the mikvah, a ritual body of collected rainwater or a natural spring. It is used on various occasions having to do with a change […]