by Rabbi Eliezer Lawrence
Posted on February 2, 2023
I walk through the world with the bones of my ancestors. I carry in my bones the stories—the life, the love, the death, the values of those who came before—so many of whom I never met. When we have a relationship with ancestry, we begin to encounter the expansiveness of History, of God, and to realize that we are but a character in a larger intergenerational story.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on January 14, 2022
I had the privilege the other night to be at a vigil in the Bronx held opposite the building where the recent terrible tragedy occurred, the raging fire that claimed the lives of 19 souls, many of whom were children. What was remarkable that evening was how many of the speakers referenced God: “God is with us,” “God loves us,” “God loves the children.”…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on January 29, 2021
After the dramatic scene of the Egyptians being drowned in the Yam Suf, the Torah tells us, “Bnei Yisrael saw what the mighty hand that God had done in Egypt, וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בַּה’ וּבְמֹשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ – and they believed in God and in Moshe, his servant.”…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on January 25, 2018
May a Jew by choice sit shivah and say kaddish for their non-Jewish parent? To answer this question we must address two issues: (1) What is halakhah’s view of the parent-child relationship in these cases? The gemara states, “A person who converts is like a newborn infant,” (Yevamot 22a).…
by Rabbi Aryeh Klapper
Posted on July 6, 2017
To view the sources for this shiur click here. …
by Rabbi Michael Hattin
Posted on October 21, 2016
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by Rabbi Avi Weiss
Posted on May 25, 2016
Although the Torah often points out the infinite value of every human life, this week’s parsha gives a clear message about the value of Jewish life. We are told that no one will be permitted to murder Jews with impunity. In the Shirat Hayam (Song at the Sea), Moshe (Moses) and the Jewish people use three expressions to describe the downfall of the Egyptians.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on January 21, 2016
The story of Amalek is recorded twice in the Torah: once in Beshalach, and again at the end of Parashat Ki Teitzei in Devarim. In Beshalach, we are instructed to write a record of what Amalek did to us, but we are not commanded to actively remember the events.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on January 29, 2015
At the moment of the exodus from Egypt, the Torah presents us with a picture of a strong, empowered and confident people ready to take on all comers: “And the Children of Israel went out with an uplifted hand.” (14:8). And yet throughout our parasha the people demonstrate a very different character time and again: fearful, needy and dependent.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on January 10, 2014
A dominant theme in Parashat Beshalach is that of emunah, belief – having it and losing it. That the Children of Israel should believe in God after witnessing the miracles and plagues in Egypt is to be expected. What is more of a question is how long that belief will last – will they continue to believe even when they are not experiencing miracles, and even when they are beset with hardship? …
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on January 29, 2010
“And they came to Marah, and they could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter… And the people murmured against Moshe and Aharon saying, ‘What shall we drink?'” (Shemot 15:23-24). Parshat Beshalach is the parsha of the apex of the Exodus, as it relates the Splitting of the Sea, the drowning of the Egyptians, and the Song on the Sea.…
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