Why does misfortune befall the Jewish people? While there is no simple answer – or perhaps no answer at all - to this complex problem of theodicy,…
Ki Tavo: Year-End Readings
Observance of religious precepts is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Just because one is neglectful in one area of practice, Shabbat for…
Ki Tavo: Language Barriers
Those of us living in Canada are especially sensitive to the importance of language to the fabric of a country. The language that one speaks is, more…
Ki Tavo: Speak Up
One of the key aspects of our being created in the Divine image is the gift of speech. As the world was created with ten Divine utterances (Avot 5:1…
Ki Tavo: The Presence of G-d
In the secular world in which we live it can be—and often is—hard to feel the presence of G-d. The Western world has turned religion into…
Ki Tavo: In the Garden of Eden
"And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which You have given me" (Devarim 26:10). The Israeli farmer was to…
Ki Tavo: To Share or Not to Share
Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the mitzvot of bikkurim, the farmers’ bringing of his first fruits of the land to the Temple,…
Ki Tavo: A Covenant of Love
With less than two weeks until Rosh Hashanah, the theme of teshuva begins to take centre stage. While the cycle of Torah reading--and for…
Ki Tavo: Real Estate Talk
The central aspect of the Pesach seder is the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzraim, retelling and reliving the Exodus experience. The Rabbis chose, as…
Ki Tavo: What a Waste!
Man has an innate desire to see the fruit of his own efforts. When life's blessings are handed to one on a silver platter, those blessings are…