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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jun 12, 20225 min read
Knowledge, Will and Blessings
Knowledge, Will and Blessings Thoughts on Torah Portion Naso 2022 (adapted from previous versions) This Torah portion, Naso (Numbers...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
May 9, 20224 min read
Be Holy
Thoughts on Torah Portion Kedoshim 2022 A holy person acts differently from other people. A holy person is separated from other people. A...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Mar 28, 20222 min read
Parenting the Soul of Your Child - Description of Class
Parenting the soul of your child The Challenge: Parents typically seek my advice about issues of their children’s compliance with...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Mar 25, 20225 min read
Aaron's Silence
Comments on Torah Portion Shemini 2022 Two young men meet a sudden, tragic death in our Torah portion. The scene is described tersely:...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Mar 4, 20222 min read
The Cloud, the Fire and the Voice - Torah Portion Pekudei
Thoughts on Torah Portion Pekudei The fire that appeared in the burning bush on Mt. Sinai at the beginning of the book of Exodus never...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Dec 17, 20214 min read
The Struggle for the Blessing - Torah Portion Va-Yechi
Torah Portion VaYechi 2021 (adapted from previous versions) When I was a graduate student at USC, I frequented a nearby supermarket with...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Sep 16, 20214 min read
From the Shadow to the Comforting Shade
Thought on the Days of Awe and Joy The Days of Awe and Days of Joy (Rosh HaShanah, the 10 Days of Turning, Yom Kippur and Sukkot) form a...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Aug 1, 20215 min read
Revering, Walking, Loving, Serving
Revering, Walking, Loving, Serving Reflections of Torah portion Ekev 2021 (from previous versions) This week’s Torah potion, Ekev, has a...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jul 23, 20213 min read
Torah Portion Va-Etchanan - Holy Ground
This week is the first of seven weeks that take us to Rosh HaShanah. This week’s Torah portion is an excellent first step. We have here...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Apr 2, 20213 min read
The Second Step into the Sea
In the Bible, Passover is a seven-day observance, with the first and last days being holidays. The middle days are called “chol ha-mo’ed”...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Nov 27, 20204 min read
From Darkness to Wisdom
From Darkness to Wisdom Thoughts on Torah Portion Vayeitzei 2020 (adapted from 2018) I can imagine Jacob justifiably bemoaning his fate...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Oct 16, 20203 min read
How the First Verses of the Torah Came to be Written - A Conjecture
“How did things get this way?” is probably one of the first things that ancient human beings asked. Not most of them, for sure. Like...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jul 25, 20204 min read
Seekers of Truth Among the Ruins - Comments on the Shabbat Before the 9th of Av
Seekers of Truth Among the Ruins Thoughts on the Sabbath Before the 9th of Av (Parshat Devarim) Well-being is within your reach. We’ve...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jun 6, 20204 min read
Knowledge, Will and Blessings - Comments on Torah Portion Naso
Knowledge, Will and Blessings Thoughts on Torah Portion Naso 2020 (adapted from 2019) I often meet with a person who is looking to change...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Mar 22, 20195 min read
The Will
Torah Portion Tzav 2019 How do we image the inner life? There are many maps and metaphors for depicting the dynamics of inner work, but...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Feb 1, 20195 min read
The Dutch, Rye Whiskey, Clint Eastwood, Dwight Eisenhower, etc.
Random Thoughts on Torah portion Mishpatim I Our Torah portion begins with laws about slavery. Who begins their Constitution with laws...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jan 11, 20193 min read
The Inner Pharaoh and Truth Within
Torah Portion Bo The Jewish tradition loves serious play with words. This week’s Torah portion begins with God telling Moses, “Go to...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jun 15, 20184 min read
Cracking the Lies
Reflections on the Daily Spiritual Practice #4 Here is where we are at in my series on "setting up and maintaining a daily practice":...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jun 8, 20184 min read
The Fight for Our Lives
Reflections on the Daily Spiritual Practice #3 We studied the Kabbalistic emanations during the seven weeks between Passover and Shavu'ot...
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Rabbi Mordecai Finley Ph.D.
Jun 1, 20184 min read
The B Side
Reflections on the Daily Spiritual Practice #2 Last week on Shabbat morning I went into some detail in the 9:00 AM session on the basic...
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