In Philadelphia hangs a famous bell with a great crack running down its side. The Liberty Bell is inscribed with the King James translation of a verse from this week’s Torah portion, Behar: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.” This bell was commissioned in 1752 to celebrate fifty years since…
Tag: Torah
Fear of Fire–A Blessing Then and Now: Yitro 5774
The experience of watching my block engulfed in smoke and fire last Shabbat set the stage for Parshat Yitro in a unique fashion. The Decalogue is framed (at 19:18 and then 20:15) by descriptions of the fire on Mount Sinai, which seems to become a volcano before the terrified eyes of Israel. Classical midrashim compare…
Rabbi Danny Nevins 