Parashat Shemot 5780 by Meir Sendor Rabbi Yosi in the Gemara Hagigah (12b) says: Woe to people who see but don’t know what they are seeing, who stand but don’t know what they are standing on. The earth, on what…
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…
Pied Piper
Parashat VaYetze 5780 by Meir Sendor This week’s parashah begins with Yaakov Avinu on the run from his brother Esav. He takes shelter with his uncle Lavan and family, his mother’s brother, in Haran, an ancient commercial center near the…
To Serve and to Protect
Parashat Toldot 5780 by Meir Sendor Rights – territorial rights, political rights, personal rights – are often cited as the bone of contention between Israelis and Palestinians. Framed in this way, it seems like an all or nothing struggle. This…
All In
Parashat Hayye Sarah 5780 by Meir Sendor This week our eldest daughter and granddaughter were visiting Israel – our granddaughter is checking out study programs for next year. She also happens to be interested in engineering, so we visited Zomet,…
Waiting Room
Parashat Vayera 5780 by Meir Sendor This week Israel preemptively assassinated the leader of Islamic Jihad in Gaza who had been planning a series of attacks, and the terror organization is responding with barrages of rockets against civilians in southern…
Hear to Heart
Parashat Noach 5780 by Meir Sendor I’m grateful to have permission to relate the following story in accurate but sufficiently vague terms to protect confidentiality. A friend was hospitalized recently for several days of observation for a heart condition that…
Eternal Return of the New
Parashat Bereshit 5780 by Meir Sendor I joined some friends this past week to celebrate the combined Yom Tov of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah at the Beit HaKnesset HaTzaddik HaLavan – the Synagogue of the White Tzaddik, also known…
