Parashat Vaera 5781 by Meir Sendor This week’s parashah opens with some veiled criticism from God. At the end of last week’s parashah Moshe had complained to God that his divinely commanded mission to get Israel out of Egypt was…
Masquerade
Parashat Shemot 5781 by Meir Sendor The mask has become a symbol of the pandemic we continue to slog through. A bit challenging to breathe through, getting a bit soggy, tugging at the ears, fogging up glasses, some of them…
Only One
Parashat Vayechi 5781 by Meir Sendor Every day in prayer, morning and evening, we declare the Oneness of God in the Shema. Yet as familiar as this mitzvah may be, the awareness it challenges us to attain is extraordinary. As…
Reality Check
Parashat Vayigash 5781 by Meir Sendor We got our first of two vaccinations against the virus this week. It was the first day of the vaccination program here in Tzfat, and it had a kind of giddy, festive atmosphere. All…
Identity Politics
Parashat Miketz 5781 by Meir Sendor One of the underlying themes of this week’s parashah is identity. Yosef, a prisoner at the very bottom of the social pyramid of Egypt, jumps suddenly to the top, gets a nickname, adopts Egyptian…
Dealer’s Choice
Parashat Vayeshev 5781 by Meir Sendor We subscribe to Ulpan La-Inyan, an organization that, along with its online Hebrew instruction programs, sends a daily email with a word or phrase in Hebrew that’s used idiomatically in colloquial speech. This week…
Our Better Angels
Parashat Vayishlach 5781 by Meir Sendor Angels play significant roles in this week’s parashah, though their exact nature remains vague. Yaakov, returning to the Land of Israel after twenty years and anxious about meeting his estranged and dangerous brother Esav,…
Don’t Say Water, Water
Parashat VaYetze 5781 by Meir Sendor בראשית פרק לב פסוק ב פסוק ג וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב הָלַ֣ךְ לְדַרְכּ֑וֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ־ב֖וֹ מַלְאֲכֵ֥י אֱלֹהִֽים: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר רָאָ֔ם מַחֲנֵ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים זֶ֑ה וַיִּקְרָ֛א שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא מַֽחֲנָֽיִם: Yaakov went on his way, and angels of…
Truth to Power
Parashat Toldot 5781 by Meir Sendor Yitzhak Avinu, in Kabbalah, is associated with the Sefirah Din, divine Judgment, the quality that discerns reality and accords to every person and every creature what they really deserve. Yet in this week’s parashah,…
Wider than the Sky
Parashat Hayye Sarah 5781 by Meir Sendor This week’s parashah features the spiritual apotheosis of Avraham Avinu. He reached this level after navigating ten essential trials in his life, as it says in the Mishnah Avot: משנה מסכת אבות פרק…
