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

Tag Freedom

Love for freedom is born of the hardships of life

Thoughts on Parashat Beshalach.

Difficult realities create strong people. If they are smart and righteous enough they build better reality for their children. As the time and development progresses, the new generations do not have to face the harsh reality their grandparents faced. Life, in general, becomes easier and Continue Reading

About Our Obligations to the Covenant

Thoughts on Parashat Bamidbar

This Sabbath we begin the Book of Numbers, in Hebrew Bamidbar (In the Desert). At the beginning of Parashat Bamidbar God asks Moses to conduct a census of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses counts 603,505 men able to bear arms (20 to 60 years); the tribe of Levi, however, numbering 22,300 males aged one month and older, is counted separately. Almost 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