Parashat Ki Tissa 5780 by Meir Sendor This week’s parashah recounts one of the worst calamities of the wilderness journey of the Jewish people, yet it turns into an opportunity for one of the most vital divine revelations. The sin…
Recreational Vehicle
Parashat Terumah 5780 by Meir Sendor This week’s parashah begins the Torah account of the Mishkan, the holy tent and curtained courtyard that becomes a sacred location for connection with God. Rabbi Yaakov Leiner faces the obvious, challenging question directly:…
World Class
Parashat Mishpatim 5780 by Meir Sendor This week thousands of Jews gathered at the Kotel to pray for the people of China, afflicted by the coronavirus that broke out there and is threatening their entire country, and the whole world.…
Connectivity
Parashat Yitro 5780 by Meir Sendor The pace of life is different in Israel. It’s not just about fast or slow, frenetic or relaxed. It’s a sense of flow, a kind of synchronicity. It’s especially true in Tzfat, where a…
Fluid Dynamics
Parashat Beshallach 5780 by Meir Sendor One of the innovative Israeli startups making an important contribution to struggling rural communities in Third World countries is Watergen, which has perfected an atmospheric water generator to efficiently and inexpensively precipitate moisture from…
Unrealpolitik
Parashat Vayechi 5780 by Meir Sendor In the Mishnah Avot, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai asks his top students their opinion on the most direct path to a virtuous life: משנה מסכת אבות פרק ב משנה ט [רבן יוחנן בן זכאי]…
Rise Up
Parashat Vayigash 5780 by Meir Sendor As this week’s parashah opens, Yehudah steps up to Yosef, who he thinks is a powerful, antagonistic Egyptian noble, to defend his youngest brother Binyamin against a false charge of theft. The situation seems…
Mind the Gap
Parashat Miketz, Hanukkah 5780 by Meir Sendor I was teaching an introductory session on Jewish meditation with a sincere and thoughtful group of Jewish college-age students in Tzfat this week. To get a sense of what level to start at…
Crossroads
Parashat Vayeshav 5780 by Meir Sendor At the heart of this week’s parashah is a strange encounter that seems like a minor and unnecessary detail in the narrative, yet turns out to be pivotal. Yosef is sent by his father…
Cold Comfort
Parashat VaYishlach 5780 by Meir Sendor “When Rabbi [Yehudah haNasi] would need to go to the government [in Rome] he would look over this parashah, and he would not accept a Roman escort on his return. One time, he did…
