Rabbi Ronald S. Roth
Parshah Yitro - Multitasking and the fourth commandment
Some years ago a television commercial expressed the frustrations many of us feel, but I am not sure that the solution is viable. The assumptions in that ad also touch on one of the Ten Commandments.
Ki Tavo - Upgrading memory
A few months ago, when I was about to replace my computer, I needed to answer the question, “How much memory do I need?” Every few years when I upgrade my desktop at home, the cost of memory has gone down but the need has gone up. Now I have several thousand digital photos on my hard drive. I even own an “Iomega Back Up Hard Drive” with 500 gigs of memory. As a Jew I also know that I need a very large memory for all of the events and messages that the Torah commands us to recall. A verse in this week’s portion says “lo tishchach” — do not forget. That leads to two important lessons about memory as we are approaching the Yomim Noraim, the Days of Awe, the High Holy Days.
A new look at redemption
All I wanted to do was give a donation to the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ) while I was in Israel. But from that simple desire came one of the high points of my recent trip.
Before I left for Israel to attend February’s Rabbinical Assembly convention in Jerusalem, several members of my congregation gave me tzedakah to distribute there. One of my favorite organizations is NACOEJ. I knew of their work with Ethiopian Jews in Addis Ababa who were waiting to leave for Israel, and of their continuing efforts to help these Jews integrate into Israel society.
A matter of translation
Does it make a difference if our prayer books refer to God as “You” or “Thou”? Some people like the poetic grandeur of “Thou.” Others point out that the Hebrew is more faithfully translated as “You.” Even more significant than whether we call God “Thou” or “You” is a translation that reframes our understanding of the words of one the greatest of our liturgical works on these High Holidays, the Days of Awe.
