Ethics

Posts related to Jewish Ethics.

Shemini: Storks Play Favorites!

Do storks play favorites when they deliver babies? The stork (Hebrew: חסידה Chasidah) is included in this week’s Torah portion, Shemini, among birds Jews are forbidden to eat.  (Leviticus 11:13, 19).  According to the Ramban (Nachmanides... Continue Reading »
Apr 21
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Ethics

Dvar Torah Shabbat Pesach: Does Yichus Matter?

Does he/she come from a good family? That’s a common question parents and grandparents ask about any perspective (grand)son- or (grand)daughter-in-law.  After all, as the adage goes, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  Moreov... Continue Reading »
Apr 14
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Ethics

Vayakhal-Pekudei: Don't Stop Me If You've Heard This One.

When we don’t need more of something, it’s natural to tell someone who brings more,  “Thanks, but I have enough.”  After all, wouldn’t it be wrong to mislead someone who thinks their gift is needed when it is not, and they could keep, retur... Continue Reading »
Mar 23
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Ethics

Ki Tissa: The Calm During The Storm

Which are the best ways to calm a very angry person who threatens to do something rash?  This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tissa (Exodus 30:11-34:35), provides practical advice through example.  When the Israelites built a golden calf and wor... Continue Reading »
Mar 17
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Ethics

Hukkat: What Have You Done for Me Lately?

What happened yesterday about which you still feel grateful today?   How about the day-before-yesterday?  Last week? Last month? Last year?  It’s hard, and maybe impossible, to feel grateful for benefits received that we no longer re... Continue Reading »
Jul 15
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Focus on Prayers, Jewish Rituals, Ethics

Shelach-Lecha: When to Be Underhanded

When the spies Moses sent to Canaan returned with their report, ten of the twelve advised the Israelites not to even try to advance against the Anakites.  “We looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them.”  (Num... Continue Reading »
Jul 01
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Ethics

Be-Ha'alotekha: Is that really what you're mad about?

Sibling jealousy is common in the Hebrew Bible.  Cain and Abel.  Jacob and Esau.  And, most famously, Joseph and his brothers.  Seldom mentioned, though, is that between Moses and his siblings, Aaron and Miriam.  Yet, arguabl... Continue Reading »
Jun 24
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Ethics

Naso: Guilty? Take the “Fifth” and Confess.

Many Jews consider confession to be a once-a-year religious obligation. On the “Day of Atonement,” they confess their sins to G-d, privately and/or by joining in the communal “Ashamru” (“We have sinned”) liturgy. Such an understanding of the role of... Continue Reading »
Jun 17
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Jewish Rituals, Ethics

Be-Hukkotai: There's No Substitute for Rationalization

"If [a vow concerns] any animal that may be brought as an offering to the lord, any such that may be given to the lord shall be holy. one may not exchange or substitute another for it, either good for bad, or bad for good; if one does substitute one ... Continue Reading »
Jun 03
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Ethics

Behar: Don't live in the "Shark Tank"

Who said, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”?   Although Ben Franklin is often credited, it was actually Shakespeare, who put these words into the mouth of his character Lord Polonius (Hamlet Act I, Scene III).   How ironic, the... Continue Reading »
May 27
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Jewish Rituals, Ethics
Page 5 of 6First   Previous   1  2  3  4  [5]  6  Next   Last   

If charity cost nothing, the world would be full of philanthropists.
Jewish Proverb