…Nelson Mandela called “the long walk to freedom.” Bamidbar Naso Beha’alotecha Shelach Lecha Korach Chukat Balak Pinchas Matot Masei Devarim (Deuteronomy) With the book of Deuteronomy, Devarim, the entire biblical project becomes lucid and reaches its culmination. Deuteronomy is the last act of the Jewish people’s drama before becoming a nation in its own land, and it forms the context…
…that one of the greatest blessings of my life.” Rabbi Sacks also offered this longer reflection on the impact of Rabbi Rabinovitch: https://youtu.be/zuwiq8Ocr2g Here we highlight three of Rabbi Sacks’ Covenant & Conversation essays that were inspired by Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch: The Courage to Live with Uncertainty (Noach) The Heroism of Tamar (Vayeshev) My Teacher: In Memoriam (Matot – Masei)…
…being what only we are, we contribute to humanity what only we can give. PINCHAS: If we truly wish to hand on our legacy to our children, we must teach them to love it. MATOT-MASEI: Life is a journey, not a destination. We should constantly set ourselves new challenges that take us out of our comfort zone. Life is growth….
It is a fascinating story and from it comes one of the great principles of Judaism. Two of the tribes, Reuben and Gad, see that the land east of the Jordan is ideally suited as pasture for their large herds and flocks of livestock. They approach Moses and ask to have permission to settle there rather than cross the Jordan….
If you want to come close to Heaven, don’t search for kings, priests, saints or even prophets. They may be great, but a fine teacher helps you to become great, and that is a different thing altogether….
To be a Jew is to be summoned to become a living Sefer Torah. People learn how to behave not only from the books they study but also – perhaps more so – from the people they meet. Jewish educators speak of “text-people” as well as “text-books,” meaning that we need living role models as well as formal instruction….
Life is a journey, not a destination. We should constantly set ourselves new challenges that take us out of our comfort zone. Life is growth….
I was blessed by having one of the greatest teachers of our generation. The best advice I can give anyone is: find a teacher, then make yourself a disciple….
I believe that Judaism made an extraordinarily wise decision when it made teachers its heroes and lifelong education its passion. We don’t worship power or wealth. These things have their place, but not at the top of the hierarchy of values. Power forces us. Wealth induces us. But teachers develop us. They open us to the wisdom of the ages,…
Civilisations that value the young stay young. Those that invest in the future have a future. It is not what we own that gives us a share in eternity, but those to whom we give birth and the effort we make to ensure that they carry our faith and way of life into the next generation….