I hear echoes;:
“And these are the laws that you shall place before them.”
“This is the Torah that Moses placed before the Children of Israel.”
Place before. It does not say to give, but to place something in front of them.
Rashi explains that Moses was commanded to present the laws to his nation in the same [...]

I recently took out a sefer – holy book – that I studied in the summer of 1980 in order to certify as a Shochet – a ritual slaughterer. I was surprised to find that it was a far more enjoyable study and challenge than the first time. The book is highly technical and [...]

We honor Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, with an extra portion in the Torah named for him, for his decision to join the Children of Israel and convert. It isn’t just ‘a’ portion; it is the portion of Revelation. All of the Children of Israel went through a process of conversion to prepare for Revelation. They went [...]

After spending two years walking with Canadian crutches, and then a walker for a few years, I look at stairs and ramps with all sorts of mixed feelings. I used to look up at even just a few stairs with dread. Ramps were a reminder of my physical limitations. Exhausted at the top of stairs, [...]

I had a strange experience today as I was hooked up to my IV. I closed my eyes to rest and listened to the pumping action of the IV, which usually helps me fall asleep. This time my mind played a powerful trick on me. As all the medications began to take effect and I [...]

He shaved a nanosecond off one note and added it to the next. This underhanded form of theft, known as rubato, is one way that soloists personalize a piece of music. It is a liberty taken with the composer’s text. He stopped time in its tracks, restored our dreams of youth, and defied the march [...]

There is a war between two clocks in my room. My alarm clock is connected to an atomic clock somewhere that constantly adjusts its time. It has the same time as my cell phone, which also claims to be super-accurate. I also have an original fake $50,000 watch straight from Chinatown with the months listed [...]

Today is a great day in our family: Pip made a decision.
We realized about three years ago that Pip freezes into inaction when confronted with a choice. We threw two balls at one time, and rather than choose which ball to chase, he stood still. He couldn’t decide.
We are committed to his development and [...]

One of the most constant refrains I hear from people is, “I should…” or, “I should have…”
All those “shoulds” are heavy burdens. “I should be more patient.” “I should be more of a Tzaddik.” “I should daven better.” “I should be more careful with my speech.”
The “should haves” are even worse: “I should [...]