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 By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ו' באלול ה'תש"ע (August 16th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Shofetim 5770
“Tzedek, tzedek tirdof” – A Matter of Law and Order
Ever notice how many television shows are dedicated to “pursuing justice”? Perhaps one of the longest-running shows was Law & Order, which experienced a 20-year run of apprehending villains in the first half of the show and then prosecuting them in the second half of the show. Not only did it introduce a new vocabulary to its television audience that is just as familiar as sports terminology, it has also played into our desire to punish certain segments of society for their belief that the law does not relate to them in the same way…
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Continue reading Parashat Shofetim – A Matter of Law & Order →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ח באב ה'תש"ע (August 8th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Re’eih 5770
What A Sight!
In the teaser to get us to watch the reruns of Grey’s Anatomy, we hear Meredith Grey pleading to her former lover, “So pick me, choose me, love me.” All that she desires is for someone to recognize her for who she is, a woman worthy of being embraced and cherished for the blessings that she can offer to another. This week’s Torah portion coincides with the announcement of the new, and final month, of the year, Elul, which the sages teach us is an acronym for the phrase, “Ani L’dodi Vi’dodi Li”: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” It is…
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By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"א באב ה'תש"ע (August 1st, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Eikev 5770
“I Do Thee Wed”
In this week’s Torah portion, Moses revisits what happened when he was on the mountain with God, the two of them carving the initial laws that would guide the Israelite nation in their new status as a freed people. What ensues can only be described in terms of a marriage that had been in danger of divorce. The people below had become unfaithful to God, and to Moses, when they failed to return to them at the appointed time. So, they took upon themselves a new “lover,” so to speak, in the shape of a Golden Calf. Fidelity is what God expects of…
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Parashat Va’etchanan 5770
And You Shall Bind Them As a Sign
One of the most famous lines of the Torah is a part of our reading for this week. We read, “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Volumes have been written as sage and scholar alike try to unravel the meaning of these words for their generation. We recite these words as part of our worship twice each day, both morning and evening, reading the words of the first paragraph literally. The Shema became the first words we recited in the morning and the last words we recited each night. In time, they were incorporated into the morning…
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Parashat Devarim 5770
Changing of the Guard
I wonder what Moses would have done if he had been forced to retire at an earlier age than 120. I realize that he had a lot on his plate in those closing years of his life, trying to keep the people together on the same page as they wandered from one place to another in the wilderness outside of the land of Canaan, where God intended them to settle. What a burden it must have been to ensure that everyone was taken care of appropriately as he waited for a sign from God that they were ready to cross the Delaware River…
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By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ד' באב ה'תש"ע (July 15th, 2010) in Dvar Torah Parashat Mattot / Massei 5770
I Swear to God
How many times have we heard the words of the bailiff instructing a witness to respond to his or her declaration: “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me, God?” In the Orthodox world, when someone makes a formal declaration that they will do something, and they do not want to suffer the consequences of not fulfilling their promise, they may utter under their breath the formulaic words, “b’li neder,” which means “without a vow.” For example, when I promise my wife that I will clean up the office in the house, I…
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By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ג בתמוז ה'תש"ע (July 5th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Pinchas 5770
Wrestling with the Challenges of Diversity
Vince McMahon could not have written a better story line for this week’s Torah reading regarding Pinchas the Priest as a “piercer” of men and women alike. I wonder if Pinchas had been around for our generation to witness, would he have measured up to the likes of WWE champion Shaemus, who has no shame, or former champions, Massachusetts-born John Cena (a fan favorite) and Randy Orton, who is a third-generation wrestler with a mean reputation.
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By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ט"ו בתמוז ה'תש"ע (June 27th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Chukkat / Balak 5770
Opposites Attract
Who’s the smart one? Is it the donkey that has words of wisdom to share with a prophet who sells his blessings and curses for a price? Or is it the person who says that he can tell you what type of oil was used to fry up the chickpeas in a falafel pita pocket, by merely looking at the hummus that it rests in?
The Torah readings for this week and last week are sometimes read together on a single Shabbat. In some ways the two parashiot are tied together. They share the common theme of paired opposites. There is the general idea that good and evil…
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Continue reading Parashat Chukkat / Balak 5770 – Opposites Attract →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on א' בתמוז ה'תש"ע (June 13th, 2010) in Dvar Torah Parashat Korach 5770
The Imperfection of Perfection
It is difficult for me to restrain myself from writing another baseball sermon when the season is so long and there are many lessons to be learned from the way the game is played and how I can draw a Jewish connection to most things that happen on the field, and sometimes off the field as well. This week provides us with a “perfect” example of what I mean. According to Major League Baseball records, only twenty times has there been a perfect game recorded in the annals of the history of this sport. Cy Young, in 1904, is the only Red Sox…
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By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ד בסיון ה'תש"ע (June 6th, 2010) in Dvar Torah Parashat Shelakh Lekha 5770
A Fringe Experience
Another anniversary of my bar mitzvah… Thirty-seven years ago, two days after I was called up to the bimah for my formal introduction as an adult in the Jewish community, my family left for Israel to celebrate with the cousins from California. There were thirteen of us and in my d’var torah I compared my tour to Israel to the one that was being conducted by the spies sent by Moses to scout out the land. What we had in common was not knowing what to expect. Perhaps, as a thirteen year old who had never been on a long distance plane ride…
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Continue reading Parashat Shelakh Lekah 5770 – A Fringe Experience →
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