Parashat Re'eh: Seeing with the Eyes of the Soul Parashat Re'eh always comes just before Rosh Chodesh Elul, the month of introspection, self-awareness, and preparing our hearts for the High Holidays. It is a time to ask, “Who am I, and how do I see myself, other people, and G-d?” In this week's parashah, the Torah teaches an unusual law: when we experience the death of a loved one, we are not permitted to harm our bodies in our grief. Mourning is part of our human experience and is a result...

Don't Forget Gd At the heart of Parashat Eikev is one repeated message: Don't forget Gd. The Jewish people are about to enter the Land of Israel. The daily miracles of the wilderness will no longer be visible. Life will become more ordinary, and Moshe knows that the greatest spiritual danger is not hardship, it is forgetting. Moses speaks of what we need to do to keep Gd at the center of our lives. First, remember Gd in history. Remember the Exodus from Egypt. Remember the giving of the...

From Mourning to Hope: We are Part of Gd’s Oneness Tisha B'Av is a day of profound mourning. We sit on the floor. We cry. We remember the destruction of the Temples, the suffering of our people, and the many tragedies that have taken place throughout our history. We do not minimize pain. We do not rush away from grief. We allow ourselves to mourn. The world is filled with war, suffering, loss, death, and so much that is broken. But Tisha B'Av does not end with mourning. At some point, we get...