Dvar Torah
Under the Apple Tree
Many if not most of the readers of this weekly Dvar Torah may be too young to remember the song, “Don’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me.” It is a World War II song about a woman and her soldier boyfriend soon to be sent overseas. Where did the notion of a girl sitting with a boy under an apple tree come from? Where did the lyricists Les Brown and Charles Tobias get that refrain?
“Try it, you’ll like it!”
“Try it, you’ll like it,” with its call to learn through experience, is, by all measures, one of the most successful advertising campaigns to come out of Madison Avenue. Judaism, in a much more sophisticated and profound way, has experiential learning woven right into its very fabric.
Tu B’shvat: The What and Why
Why do we have a “New Year” for Trees? Contrary to common belief, it has nothing to do with planting trees. So what is the philosophical importance of recognizing this “New Year”?
The First Pesach Seder
The Pesach Seder is one of the most ubiquitous religious performances in all of Jewish life. It is a night or two (outside of Israel) of learning, centered around a festive holiday meal that we enjoy together with family and friends. The very first Pesach Seder, which took place in Egypt, is vividly described in this week’s Torah portion, Bo.
The Look of True Piety
When reading about our great Torah personalities in the Tanakh, we often read with rose-colored glasses. We project an idealized image on to its leading characters how contemporary society portrays piety. Having this view of our great matriarchs and patriarchs, our foundational leaders, in fact, does us great harm.