Jewish Thought

Written by Rabbi Dovid Gurevich, Co-Director of Chabad House at UCLA Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer, the founder of the Chassidic movement and known as “the  Baal Shem Tov” (“possessor of a good name”), famously interpreted the Mishnah’s dictum regarding the…

One of the perks of writing a Taste of Torah article is the oppurtunity to look at the weekly Torah reading and find an element within it that resonates with readers, even today. In this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20),…

Written by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Co-Director of Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) at UCLA — This Jewish month of Adar is a time of extreme happiness! The miracle of the Purim story, taken place in Adar, and the enormous salvation that occurred is…

One of the most notable pieces of this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Tetzaveh, is the commandment to create within Jewish sanctuaries a ner tamid, “a constantly burning light” (Exodus 27: 20-21). When I embarked on new paths on my Jewish journey, one of…

The freedom to practice the religion of one’s choosing is of paramount importance to modern-day Americans. It is not a right to be taken for granted, since historically, it was often not afforded to people. However, our modern emphasis on…

This week’s Torah portion, Yitro, is eponymous to Moses’s father-in-law and a prominent Midianite priest, Jethro (Yitro). The initial section of the portion describes the great respect Moses shows him. It also conveys an episode where Jethro criticizes Moses for overworking…

Written by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Co-Director of Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) at UCLA   This week’s Shabbat has a second name, Shabbat Shirah (“The Sabbath of Song”). The reason for this name is that in this week’s Torah…

Written by Rachel Cohen of Jewish Leadership Network (JLN) and My Aish LA   This week’s Torah portions, Bo and Be’Shalach, open with the final and most devastating plague about to hit Egypt. God says to Moses, “Tell Pharaoh that exactly at midnight,…