Eikev: I feel sad for Ryan Lochte. He achieved so much as an Olympic swimmer. One lie and he lost his endorsements; one act of misbehavior and the rewards of years of focused effort were forfeited. Our parashah this week, Eikev, begins with the word “if”, which is repeated including the paragraph that will find a place in the Shema: If you follow my commandments…

Torah: Ve’Ethanan: Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell explains his new podcast, “You think with your eyes; your feel with your ears.  Complex ideas are conveyed in writing; tears may flow from what you hear.” In this week’s Torah, we read: “Hear O’ Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one”  (Deuteronomy 6:4). The core concept of Judaism is that there is only…

Torah: Devarim- Moses begged off at the Burning Bush as lacking a facility for speech. In this the fifth book of the Five Books of Moses, Moses speaks and speaks. His orations are composed of three major addresses, a closing song, and farewell blessings. The rabbis, who are teachers, give Moses their highest accolade by calling him, Moshe Rabbenu, Moses our teacher.…

Torah: Matot-Masei- “Like a sword in my bones are the taunts of my adversaries, by saying to me all the day, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:11). My friend, Len Saxe, recently pointed out that this verse from Psalms is the rebuttal to the children’s rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” In the Jewish tradition…