When I was 12, I was taught at the history class at my primary school that some Polish surnames ending with ‘ski’ are associated with a noble heritage. Excited, I came back home to ask my parents whether we also came from a noble family. My dad sighed and asked me to sit down in […]

July 20th. 2018 – Continuity. This is the secret, the secret to so much. One needs Continuity. But how to achieve it? How can you ensure that each new employee, each new student, each new generation, can learn what has already happened and build upon it, rather than starting all over again each time? Not […]

Thoughts on Parashat Matot-Massei The opening words of this week’s Torah portion may not seem like an extraordinary statement at first sight: [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Moses spoke to the heads of the Israelite tribes, saying: This is what the [Eternal] has commanded…” (Numbers 30:2.)[/perfectpullquote] Next we find an explanation of the […]

Reflection on Parashat Pinchas The Torah portion for this week, apart from laws and other stories, contains also the one about daughters of Tzelafchad petition Moses that they be granted the portion of the land belonging to their father, who died without sons. God accepts their claim and incorporates it into the Torah’s laws of […]