At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, Moshe tells the Children of Israel that when they enter the land and grow crops there they must bring the first fruits to the Temple. When the farmer brings this basket of first fruits he has to recite a four-line summary of the history of…

Studies show that members of the American generation now coming of age, Gen-Z, are both more likely than the generations before them to be depressed and anxious and at the same time interested in spirituality more than other generations.   I believe this paradoxical state of affairs creates an important obligation for religious communities which…

In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, we read of the great blessings the Jewish people will receive if they listen to God, and the terrible curses the Jewish people will suffer if they do not listen. The Jerusalem Talmud states (Megillah 3:7): “When reading the section of the curses in the Torah, One does…

It is almost Rosh Hashanah and we all approach the High Holidays with different feelings and perspectives.  Some are worried about the coming year and hope that prayer will secure a healthy and prosperous year for them.  Others want to fulfill their chivuvim – obligations and mitzvot – by praying, hearing the shofar and fasting. …

This week’s parsha, Ki Tavo, begins with the first fruits.   The Torah tells us that the farmer in the Land of Israel must bring a basket of the first fruits of the orchard to the Temple, give them to the Kohen to wave, and make the following declaration:  “An Aramean tried to destroy my…

We are currently in the month of Elul, the Hebrew month preceding the days of awe.   This is the month spent cultivating tishuvah.  Tishuvah is often translated as repentance but literally means return.   The Torah portion this week speaks of blessings and curses.  The Jewish people are promised blessing if they listen to…