Category: Torah Portions

THE PROBLEM WITH THE TOWER OF BABEL

What’s the deal with the strange story of the ‘Tower of Babel’? The version we... Read More

AVRAHAM AVINU, THE MAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION

The beginning of the Torah portion of Lech Lecha abruptly introduces us to Avraham Avinu... Read More

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COEXISTENCE AND HARMONY

Over the past few months there have been curious developments in the relationship between Saudi... Read More

UNDERSTANDING THE TORAH’S STORIES

One of the most puzzling aspects of the Torah is the inclusion of material that... Read More

IT’S NOT ABOUT HIM, IT’S ABOUT YOU

There is an old rabbinic refrain, based on a Talmudic discussion in tractate Kiddushin: כָּל... Read More

THE BATTLE FOR KAPPAROT AND JEWISH TRADITION

Over the past few months, animal rights activists in the United States have focused their... Read More

GETTING TOGETHER EVERY SEVEN YEARS

Rabbi Dunner focuses on the mitzva of Hakhel. Every seven years, after the Shemitta (Sabbatical... Read More

THE VEXED ISSUE OF WHO IS A JEW

Since its founding in 1948, one of Israel’s most contentious problems has been trying to... Read More