Collections of Thoughts and Poetry

#parshatkitavo Parshat Ki Tavo is known for its blessings and curses. Although the blessings and curses take up a good part of this...

Blog posts on Words Have Wings usually take between two to five minutes to read. This post will take you longer to read, but I hope it...

Parshat Shoftim is an important and relevant parsha, largely focusing on the the three pillars of leadership in the community, the king, the priests and the judges. This parsha makes clear the qualities that each type of leader should posses and emphasizes that leadership requires sacrifice, impeccable morality and deeds of unselfishness, all for the sake of the greater good. Being a king is less about glory and majesty and more about being a servant of the people. Alas, it

As it has been my custom since beginning to learn Daf Yomi more than three years ago, I deliver a poem when we finish a Masechet (a...

Re'eh means"see." In Parshat Re'eh we learn about making sacrifices once the people enter the land. The people are told to bring their...

Parshat Eikev continues Moshe's speech to B'nai Yisrael as they prepare to cross the Jordan. Contained in Parshat Eikev there are a...

Parshat Va'etchanan is always read after the nine days of mourning and the fast of Tisha B'Av, when we mourn the many tragic events in...

I sometimes think that the experience of Moshe Rabeinu with the Hebrews in the desert is akin to a classroom teacher's experience. Moshe...

Masai, the final parsha of Sefer Devarim, leaves us at the completion of the journey of the Hebrews before they reach the Promised Land....

#noa #tirtzah #machlah #hoglah The Daughters of Tzelophachad, from Parshat pinchas,their request for inheritance, their process appears...

Here we are again, in the warm (and rainy!) days of summer time. These parshiyot, Chukat and Balak, truly are the summer camp parshiyot. ...

Parshat Korach is about dissension in the ranks and a charismatic individual who seeks to gain power by claiming that everyone is imbued...

As summer approaches.... When the birds call out before dawn and dawn arrives before 5, this time I covet. When flowers vie for space...

#grasshoppers #shlach #shelach #parshatshelach #parshatshlach #grasshoppers Parshat Sh'lach is the parsha of punishment and consequence,...

#elrefanala #moshe #miriam #behaalotecha #bhallotcha #prayer #na #please #prayeroftheheart I began this last week for Parsha...

#leadership Entering Parshat B'ha'alotecha is like entering into a novel. There is emotion, law, drama and wisdom all contained in a few...

#sefirathaomer #theomer #49days I'd like to close out the 49 days of counting the Omer with a few thoughts. I have tried to write...

#bamidbar Please note that this post comes after Parshat BaMidbar, but before Shavuot. Let's call it an island between the two! Parshat...

In the continuing cycle of Daf Yomi, on Sunday we will will hold a siyum for Masechet Sotah. The initial focus and the title of this...

#soil The combined Parshiyot of Behar/B'Chukotai complete this year's reading of the book of Leviticus. These two parshiyot cover the...