Rabbi’s Blog
A weekly message from Rabbi Cantor Menachem Mirski, Ph.D.

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Thoughts on Parasha Behar-Bechukotai

How does the behavior of individual people determine the life of human communities? This very interesting question, which is especially relevant today, has been tackled by whole generations of philosophers dealing with social relations, by social scientists, social psychologists and other social sciences specialists throughout the centuries. Of course Continue Reading

Purifying the Realm of Order

Thoughts on Parashat Acharei Mot

Human beings dominated the world initially not by their physical power but by the power of intellect. The physical dominion came long after with the beginning of the modern industrial era. Over the centuries of this development we have gained more and more control over the natural environment and other living beings. By the forces of our intellect Continue Reading

The Bad Thing Happened. What’s Next?

Thoughts on Parashat Shemini

Pesach, the festival of freedom, has just ended. The concept of freedom is inextricably linked to the concept of choice. Life brings choices before us, maybe not all the time, but it does at least bring us in a position to choose. There are small choices and big choices. Small choices are usually easier to make because the consequences are less significant. Continue Reading

Freedom: Carved in Stone, but Not Given Unconditionally

Passover – a festival of freedom – has begun. The concept of freedom is one of those concepts that we might think we fully understand or at least know what they’re about. However, the limits of how we might understand freedom are not strictly defined; this is a wide-ranging and deep concept. Also, when we want to point to the essence of freedom, Continue Reading

On Devotion

Przeczytaj wersję po polsku

This week we begin reading Leviticus, the third book of the Torah. Leviticus contains detailed instructions regarding our ancient Temple ritual: animal sacrifice, priesthood, uncleanliness and purity, atonement and holiness. The Torah portion for this week is entirely devoted to animal sacrifices and they are: olah (burnt Continue Reading

Wondering what to do? Keep Shabbat!

Many people today reading this commandment might be shocked by the measures used to make people observe Shabbat – the death penalty. Are these measures truly appropriate for the failure in observing it? Is this an overreaction?

One thing is certain, if this law was truly and fully implemented within the tribal society of ancient Israelites the common Continue Reading

Menachem Mirski & Klezmaholics – Mechutonim geyen

On Modern Idolatry

Thoughts on parashat Ki Tisa

The central event of this weekly portion of the Torah is the golden calf incident:

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for that man Moses, who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened Continue Reading

Autumn Lecha Dodi

Balance Between Material and Spiritual

Thoughts on Parashat Terumah

The Torah portion of this week is entirely devoted to the structure of Mishkan. Mishkan comes from the Hebrew root meaning shachan which means “to dwell”; the tabernacle was considered to be the earthly dwelling place or residence of God.

God instructs Moses with words: Tell the Israelite people to get me their contribution, from everyone whose Continue Reading