Parshat Pinchas isn’t just about leaving a legacy, but creating a plan (and even a contingency plan) for that legacy. Whether it’s a will, a trust, or a simple set of guidelines, it’s one of the most important responsibilities of parenthood, and yes, this too is Torah.
Many of us have celebrated important life cycles at this mikveh. Some of us have gone there before our marriages. Others have entered into the covenant here as the final phase of their conversion process. In addition to those purposes, I've been fortunate to use the mikveh as a holy space for those seeking healing from troubled episodes in their lives.
I can’t let things pile up. The first drafts of my High Holy Day sermons were done this spring. When I get home after a trip, I unpack immediately. I do laundry before the hamper is stuffed to overflowing. I don’t wait until the challah is finished baking before I start washing the measuring cups.
D'var from Friday, July 22nd - Rabbi David Kosak and d'var from Saturday, July 23rd - Rabbi David Kosak. Recorded and edited by Ed Kraus.
If some parts of the Torah seem far-fetched to the more skeptically-minded among us, Parshat Balak must seem downright crazy. Then again, imaginative play is a critical component of a healthy child, and perhaps this too is Torah.
D'var from Friday, July 15th - Rabbi David Kosak and d'var from Saturday, July 16th - Rabbi David Kosak. Recorded and edited by Ed Kraus.
We've been here before. The hatred, the murder, the racism and terrorism that join us together in common purpose to destroy rather than to build. We like to talk about how polarized we are as a country. Yet increasingly we are unified in our mutual suspicion, in our common distrust and in how we are letting anger overwhelm our better natures or our capacity to seek solutions.
