Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky
Noah’s deadly lack of curiosity
Parshat Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32) Was Noah someone who would have been recognized as a tzadik in any generation? Or was Noah only a tzadik in a relative sense, only in comparison to those around him?
In lieu of perfection
Leviticus 19:1-20:27
Right there, in the shadow of the ever-popular \”Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,\” another mitzvah quietly sits: \”Thou shall surely rebuke thy friend.\” And while this may seem rude or intrusive, the Torah regards the obligation of mutual rebuke as the engine of communal righteousness.
Obligation or choice?
Parshat Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19)
Were contributions toward the building of the Tabernacle voluntary or compulsory? Those of us who have stood before our communities during a building campaign have always tended to favor the latter option, as this makes for a more effective appeal. But the classical commentaries on the Torah — presumably more objective in their approach to the question — are rather evenly divided on it.
Own your problems
The story, of course, turns out to be one of reconciliation and not hostility. But the overarching lesson of the story is the one that played out in Jacob\’s mind and soul. The way up in life is to firmly commit ourselves to a self-identity of spiritual and moral excellence, and then to demand that we actually live the self-image we have created. It is true that our past errors will become magnified as a result, and our conscience will not remain silent. But this too is part of the way up.
An Orthodox rabbi’s plea: consider a divided Jerusalem
It\’s not that I would want to see Jerusalem divided. It\’s rather that the time has come for honesty. Their call to handcuff the government of Israel in this way, their call to deprive it of this negotiating option, reveals that these organizations are not being honest about the situation that we are in, and how it came about. And I cannot support them in this.
Finding Our Fourth
We plead for life, yet the Talmud teaches there are three circumstances under which we must be willing to give up our lives.
Israel’s Darfur refugees require worthy action
I was in Jerusalem in early July when a news story about Sudanese refuges demonstrating in front of the Knesset caught my eye.
Mourning Miriam
Moshe was one of a kind. \”None ever rose again like Moshe.\” At the same time, in very powerful ways, Moshe and Miriam were two of a kind. Their personalities and passions overlapped generously. And despite being separated over decades during Moshe\’s extended sojourn in Midian, their destinies and their souls remained intertwined. When one of them left this world, the other descended into grief-stricken crisis.
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