Daniel M. Kimmel
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Lech Lecha (2)
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Lech Lecha
There's no doubt the story of Abram and Sarai's sojourn in Egypt is an odd one. "As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, 'I know what a beautiful woman you are. If the Egyptians see you, and think, 'She is his wife,' they will kill me and let you live.'" (Gen. 12:11-12). ...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Noach (2)
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Noach
The stories in Parshah Noach - the Flood, the Tower of Babel - may seem remote to us, but there are lessons there with practical value for us today. Take the fantastic Babel story. While we remember the tower and the creation of numerous languages so the people could not speak to each other, Rashi...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Bereshit (2)
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Bereshit
We start the Torah anew with Parshah Bereshit. At the climax of the creation story we get this curious statement: “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…’” (Gen. 1:26) “Us?” Who’s “us?” God is One, and the rabbis are clear that no one was helping Him in the creation, so...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) -- Chol Chamoed Sukkot
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Sukkot, Sukkot
We're a Parshah away from concluding the Torah but we take a break from the normal schedule this Shabbat for Chol Hamoed Sukkot. Instead we read parts of chapters 33 and 34 of the book of Exodus. Why was this selected for our Shabbat reading? Part of the reason are two verses known as the...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Ha'azinu
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags:
Just a little politics – and non-partisan at that. Have you ever noticed how politicians only want to talk about the past if it makes them look good (or their opponents bad)? In 2000 the last thing Al Gore wanted to discuss was Bill Clinton’s peccadilloes in office. At the recent vice...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Vayelech
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Vayelech
It was the Russian playwright Anton Chekov who came up with this definition of foreshadowing: if there's a gun hanging on the wall in the first act, it must be fired in the last. There's foreshadowing in the Torah but we may not pick up on it as we read it over the course of an entire year. This...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Nitzavim
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags:
Parshah Nitzavim includes a verse the rabbis have puzzled over for centuries. “Concealed acts concern the Lord our God; but with overt acts, it is for us and our children ever to apply all the provisions of this teaching.” (Deut. 29:28). Does this mean we’re responsible for each other for our...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Ki Tavo
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Ki Tavo
In law school my contracts professor asked us when a contract - that is, a legal obligation binding both parties - is formed at the supermarket. Is it when you put the items in your cart? Is it when it's rung up by the cashier? The answer was the moment you pay the price the cashier has totaled. ...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Ki Tetzei
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Ki Tetze
Parshah Ki Tetzei concludes with the famous exhortation to blot out the memory of Amalek, a people who historically have done nothing but violence to the Israelites. That's why it's surprising to read compassion for our enemies earlier in the portion: "You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your...
My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Shoftim
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel | Tags: Shoftim
Should you download that pirated movie on your computer? The Torah says no. If you're surprised that the Torah has ANYTHING to say about video piracy or other modern high tech issues, it's because you're not reading beyond the surface text. In Parshah Shof'tim we're instructed, "You shall not...
