D’var Torah – March 14
Leadership at its Finest Shabbat Shalom and Chag Purim Sameach – Happy Purim! I hope this finds you all well. Good leaders…well, you know them as soon as you see them. It’s the white collar CEO or manager who goes down to the factory floor, takes off his coat and tie, rolls up his sleeves, and jumps in on the assembly line because a lot of the workforce is out with the flu. It’s the exhausted and hungry Army Officer and Senior NCO who still doesn’t eat until they are sure that all their subordinates have eaten first. And it’s the high school principal who jumps in and subs a class when one of her teachers has to leave abruptly because of a family emergency. No matter how bad or miserable things get, good leaders represent for us a glimmer of light. They inspire us to achieve what we didn’t […]
D’var Torah – March 7
Shabbat Shalom! I hope this finds you well. If there’s one thing most people can’t abide by, it’s one-sided relationships. People can’t stand by and watch a girlfriend who puts all the hard work, time, love, and effort into her relationship while her ungrateful boyfriend contributes nothing, all the while sitting back on his recliner in his man cave, drinking beer, eating nachos, and playing video games. Equally, people can’t stomach a boyfriend who gives and gives and gives while his girlfriend simply expects to be pampered and waited on hand and foot. The same can be said of a lazy employee, an indifferent employer, an obnoxious and rude customer, or a neglectful proprietor and disinterested merchant. Sadly, we have all experienced this at some point or another. We are not wrong for expecting a certain basic level of commitment, concern, support and basic gratitude from those with whom we […]
D’var Torah – February 21
Shabbat Shalom! I hope this finds you all well. It would be hard to find anyone who would say that kindness isn’t a virtue, a good thing, something worth emulating and teaching to our children from their earliest days. But can kindness ever be seen as a weakness, a flaw, something to be afraid of…something bad? The answer is surprisingly and sadly…yes. But how? How can showing hospitality, charity, mercy, compassion, empathy, or selflessness ever be a bad thing, especially towards those who are the most vulnerable? Seriously, how? In this week’s parsha of Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1–24:18) we learn why sometimes we must temper or restrain our kindness. We are given the following mitzvah (commandment) when it comes to adjudicating civil suits: “nor shall you show deference to a poor person in a dispute.” [Exodus 23:3 (courtesy Sefaria.org)] In other words, we are to weigh a poor person with the […]
D’var Torah – February 28
Shabbat Shalom! I hope this finds you all well. Growing up in the Army, I had 2 types of commanders, who were night and day of one another. The first- whenever we were out in the field (i.e. the rain and the cold, or the dust and the heat), this type would find a reason, an excuse to be back in the rear in a nice warm, comfortable bed, and whenever there was a hot meal, they’d be the first in line. The second was the type of leader I’d follow to the ends of the earth. This type would always share the same austere conditions with us, and would always, always be the last to eat. I learned a lot- both who I wanted to aspire to be as a leader and who I didn’t want to be. In this week’s parsha of Terumah (Exodus 25:1–27:19), we receive an […]