The Torah teaches that to destroy one individual is to destroy an entire world. For Torah, every individual is sacred; every role in the organism of society, no matter how great or small is significant and important. Each part of the whole is indispensable. It is unique and necessary. No soul is disposable.   >>Read more

Drash by Dvash - Tazriy`a
/Rabbi Dov Abraham Ben Shorr
     The English language, and living in a Christian world, has colored our understanding of Biblical Hebrew words, so that we have trouble recognizing them for their intrinsic value. tamei (often translated as defiled) and tahor (often translated as pure) do not truly mean what their English equivalent convey and no more is that loss in translation more costly than in this week's parsha, Tazriy`a.

     In the beginning of the parsha we learn that woman who gives birth becomes completely tamei for either seven or fourteen days, depending on the gender of the child. In addition, the mother remains in a "state of blood purity" for thirty-three or sixty-six days, also respective to the gender of the child. Our Western, English language, understanding of these terms, clearly color our interpretations of this "state of being" for the woman as being very much less than good. It has made more than one western feminist shudder.

     Except in reality, it is most probable that these terms actual convey an opposite connotation. Within the context of the Biblical narrative, ritual "purity" and "impurity" have little to do with Western concepts of cleanliness, purity, and "goodness."   >>Read more

by D. Avraham From: $18.96

A Journey of One Thousand Miles: The Story of Ruth and Naomi This exciting retelling of the biblical narrative of Ruth weaves the Bible story with Midrash and the tradition of the Jewish sages to bring the story to life for the modern reader. This is an excerpt from the series Dawidh (David) King of Yisrael.

The PesaH Mini-Site
     Please visit our special Purim mini site of all of your Holiday needs. You'll find the Laws of Purim, Commentary, Essays and much, much more. >>Read more

FICTION: The Brit / Dov ben Shlomo
     Abe's hand shook a little bit as he lifted the knife. His eyes absorbed the small double-edged "sword," its shape reminding him of a delicate flower. Drawing a deep breath to steady himself and focus his energies, Abe brought the knife to rest on the shield. "Brit Qodesh!" he declared.
     The room fell silent, as Abe slowly began to recite the blessing, praising G-d for giving him the privilege of performing the mitswah of Brit Milah, Jewish Ritual Circumcision, on this his son, his firstborn, and, most likely, his only child. In fact, that he had a son at all was a miracle in and of itself, a very special present from HaShem.
     Upon reflection, Abe's life had been a series of presents and kindnesses from HaShem, though it had taken him many years to recognize it or even realize that there was really such a thing as G-d. This son, and the privilege to perform the mitswah of milah on him was the capstone on Abe's long winding journey in his search for truth. >>Read more

Paradigm Shift - Part II / Rabbi Dov Abraham Ben-Shorr
     It seems, on the surface, as such a strange concept, almost an act of desperation. The idea to divide, to split our already limited people, whose watchword of late is "unity," seems quite patently crazy. Most would argue that it is the exact opposite of what we should be doing to help bring the redemption to further fruition.

     Yet, sometimes in order to move forward, one needs to take a few steps back. Turn it and turn it again, for all the answers are found within.

     Buried within our beloved Torah is a strange and special mitswah, the mitswah of marrying one's divorced wife. One might argue that the mitswah is simply there for technical reasons, to teach us that even if one has divorced his wife, he is permitted to remarry her as long as she hasn't married anyone in the mean time. Yet, it seems to me that there might be a profound message hidden deep within this law.

     Sometimes reconciliation, based on renewed appreciation, can only come from a perspective of distance. Sometimes, unity can only be forged after a separation. This, in fact, might also be the message of Adam HaRishon (the first man), whom our tradition teaches contained, in fact, both male and female aspects until HaShem "split them" and then reunited them in marriage. >>Read more

JUSTICE AND RIGHTOUSNESS: Robert Bork on Israel's Supreme Court
Robert Bork on Israel's Supreme Court
20 Tammuz 5764
(IsraelNN.com) Robert Bork is a distinguished jurist who was nominated to the Supreme Court by United States President Ronald Reagan in 1987. He has also served as Solicitor General and has been a distinguished professor at Yale University. He is now a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and he has written a book on judicial activism called, Coercing Virtue: The Worldwide Rule of Judges. He recently appeared on The 700 Club to talk with Pat Robertson about the issue.
Robert Bork: Israel must have the most activist, and from my point of view, the worst court in the Western world. They have developed an intrusive, pervasive constitutional law without really having a Constitution. Now that's hard to do, but they've managed it and they have managed to get themselves in a position where they, in effect, control the membership of their own court. They've done a variety of things -- there's so many, I list a lot of them in the book, but there's too many to list here. >>Read more

POETRY: The Eternal Jew / Dov ben Shlomo
I was there when Abraham argued for Sodom
I ached at the lash that bound Isaac to the alter
I struggled with the Angel that Jacob defeated
The Angel, who changed our name to Israel
I screamed as the blows of my brothers fell
And I was sold with Joseph, with his brothers, into slavery
An accident of disposition, position, revelation
Conflict Resolution

I stood at the foot of Mount Sinai
I waited with anticipation;
I saw the bush enflame.
Yet, I beheld it's preservation.
I was counted among the emancipated;
As I eagerly embraced the commanding Word.
An accident of chronology, history, legacy
Temporal Morphology.

I am a Jew
A Hopelessly, piously irreverent Jew
Standing in the face of death,
Affirming life.
>>Read more

Who Shall Lead / Dov Abraham Ben-Shorr
Leaders are often both a reflection and a projection of those that they lead. A nation's direction, goals and values become manifest in its leaders, which is why so much of our tradition focuses on who is fit to lead the Jewish people.
As the Torah begins describing the transformation of the family of Abraham, Yitshaq and Ya`aqob into a nation, the Jewish nation, the concept of leadership begins to become more distinguished in the text. And with masterful artistry, the sages of the Gemara apply these concepts to the nation's historical realities, such as the drama of Hanukah, and then take both concepts and bind them intimately with the concept of Shabbat, and its taste of future redemption.
The true miracle of Hanukah is not that one small jar of oil, enough for only one day's lighting of the menorah in the Holy Temple, lasted instead eight days. That, as a miracle, is "small change" for G-d, to use the vernacular. Rather the true miracle was that the Hasmoneans lit the lamp, even though the situation was hopeless. >>Read more