Show Me Your Glory: Ki Tisa 5777

What is Moses asking when he demands that God show him the glory? The Torah already had reported in Ex. 33: 11 that in the Tent of Meeting, the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, like a man to his friend.” That sounds pretty direct—shockingly so—and yet somehow, Moses isn’t satisfied. A few verses…

The Perfect Perfume: Ki Tisa 5774

One Shabbat in Jerusalem, about 22 years ago, my wife and I were walking down Kovshei Katamon to our minyan. We fell in step with an older Yemenite woman who was holding a fragrant bouquet of basil flowers to enjoy in synagogue. She was already heading home (Temanin pray at 6 AM, even on Shabbat), and spontaneously gave…