Welcome to the Nishma Insight Discussion Forum blog.


The NISHMA INSIGHT is our popular dvar Torah, distributed almost every week by e-mail, that touches upon an important concept in the Parsha, theme in a holiday or event in contemporary society.

Often, readers respond, via e-mail, with comments that initiate a further dialogue. Through this Discussion Forum, we now wish to open this dialogue to others. If you have a comment on the INSIGHT, we invite you place to your comments here; then we invite everyone to join the discussion.

(If you are not receiving the NISHMA INSIGHT, we invite you join our mailing/e-mail list through completing our sign-up form available at our website.)

Friday, January 31, 2014

Insight 5774-21: Community and Individual

For Terumah
Not yet available on the Nishma website.

Study Question

1) Implicit in the Insight's message is the necessary divergence in the behaviour of individual's in a community; not everyone can be a doctor, a lawyer, a farmer. Applied to the structure of Torah, if a relationship with God is a communal objective, not everyone can be the kohein. There is also a need for divergence. Included in the message of this Insight, is the uniqueness of the view of spirituality.

This was my message in regard to women and tefillin. It was with this in mind that I downplayed the desire of these women to wear tefillin. Mitzvot are not generic sources of spirituality. It is this view of them as such that motivates those on the outside to desire to adopt this behaviour. It is similar to the non-kohein wishing to be a kohein. The challenge is, though, that over the centuries women had adopted certain behaviours from which they were exempt such as listening to the shofar and taking a lulav and etrog. Based upon my argument, why would this have developed? Is there a place to draw the line on what can be assimilated and what cannot? This subject demands further investigation.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Friday, January 17, 2014

Insight 5774-19: Existential Communication

For Yitro
Not yet available on the Nishma website.

Study Question

1) The gemara presents three opinions as to the news of what event prompted Yitro to go to the Jewish camp. What do you think is the difference in motivation represented by this difference of opinion?


Friday, January 10, 2014

Friday, January 3, 2014