Drawing close is no simple matter. At times, it can be difficult—even dangerous. And yet, to come near is also wondrous: it can nurture, enrich, and expand life. The possibility of a misstep is always near—but so too are countless opportunities. The line between one kind of closeness and another is often fine. It depends on sensitivity, harmony, the insistence on not including elements foreign to the relationship, and attentiveness to the nature of the invitation.

Dedicated in loving memory of my nephew, Yishai Elyakim Urbach, who fell in Gaza one year ago, a few weeks after setting out to build his own home.

Tehillim 127:1 "Unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."

Human beings cannot truly build alone. What we build by ourselves, the psalmist suggests, cannot ultimately endure.

And yet one of the most beloved songs sung in Israel on Yom Ha’Atzma’ut insists: “I built a house in the Land of Israel.” Human initiative—human courage, labor, and creativity—stands at the heart of the Zionist ethos. Even in religious communities where the day is marked by the recitation of Hallel, a prayer of gratitude to God, the name of the day itself—Yom Ha’Atzma’ut, Independence Day—centers the human story.

Chapter 12 of the Book of Vayikra deals with the sacrifice of the woman who has given birth.

When we think of the Holocaust, we can only be silent.

We are incapacitated emotionally, morally, theologically. At times it seems that the countless museums and memorials, the ceremonies and journeys, the songs and the prayers, are but a desperate attempt to break free from the paralysis that grips us in its shadow.

The Torah, too, knows such a moment when children are consumed by fire, and their surviving family is left with nothing but silence.

The opening scene of Parashat Shemini is both brief and dramatic. It depicts the final day of the dedication of the mishkan (tabernacle)—the very day on which Nadav and Avihu die.

The stories transmitted in the Talmud and midrash present contemporary readers with a rich and delightful entry point into the Rabbinic worldview and mindset, offering moral insights and memorable lessons. At the book launch for How to Read a Talmudic Story, Dr. Jeffrey L. Rubenstein and R. Aviva Richman explore how these narratives illuminate rabbinic values, struggles, and creativity. Together, they consider not only how to read these stories, but what they continue to teach us today. Recorded in March 2026.

Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/TalmudicStoryBookTalk2026RichmanRubenstein.pdf

Midrash Vayikra Rabbah offers an extensive homily on the shelamim (peace or well-being offering) based on the linguistic affinity between the Hebrew words shelamim, sheleimut (wholeness), and shalom (peace). By examining both the technical details of how the offering was brought and the linguistic potential inherent in its name, the midrash transforms a discussion of ancient ritual into an exploration of the very nature of peace.

The exodus is nothing less than the "orienting event" of Jewish life. But Exodus memory also has another, much more painful side: amidst suffering and devastation, Jews remember the exodus and wonder why, if God redeemed us then, God does not do so now. In this lecture, R. Shai explores the double-edge of memory: exploring how it can sustain us in hope and how, sometimes, it can deepen our despair.

This lecture was delivered in memory of Jerome L. Stern z"l in March 2026.

Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/SternPesahLecture2026HeldLivingWithoutExodus.pdf