Rabbi Steven Abraham

There is something startling about the Israelites’ memory in Sefer Bamidbar. No sooner do they find themselves in the discomfort of wilderness life—hungry, uncertain, and afraid—than they begin to long for the very place that enslaved them. “We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for free,” they say in Bamidbar 11:5, “the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” It is one of the more jarring moments in the Torah—not because it reveals weakness, but because it reveals … [Read more...]

This week, someone forwarded me a screenshot from a website called Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza. Big letters. Bold colors. A quote from the Shulchan Aruch—Jewish law: “If there’s a hungry person, one must feed them.”אם היה רעב יאכילוהו And splashed across the top:“The Torah is clear.” I’ll be honest: I am conflicted Because the Torah may be many things—ancient, holy, enduring—but rarely is it simple. Especially not today. Not when our … [Read more...]

The Book of Ruth begins with quiet devastation. Famine, exile, death. A woman named Naomi leaves her homeland in search of survival and returns years later with nothing—no husband, no sons, no future. Her name, which once meant “pleasant,” now feels like a cruel echo. “Don’t call me Naomi,” she says upon returning to Bethlehem. “Call me Mara”—bitterness. But in the wreckage of her story, another one begins. It’s easy to miss because it is so small, so intimate. Two women—her daughters-in-law, … [Read more...]

The Book of Ruth is deceptively quiet. It’s only four chapters long—no parting seas, no plagues, no prophets. But don’t be fooled by its calm. Ruth may be the most radical book in the Bible, not because of what it shouts, but because of what it dares to whisper. Ruth’s story begins in grief: famine, displacement, and death. But it pivots on something far more powerful—choice. Ruth, a Moabite widow, is bound to her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi not by obligation, but by love. When Naomi urges … [Read more...]

Sefer Bamidbar opens not with miracles, nor covenant, nor crisis—but with a count. Each tribe is summoned, each clan recorded. Every adult male is registered for service. At first glance, it is administrative and dry—a ledger at the heart of the Torah. But like so much in Torah, the surface conceals a deeper truth. This is not a census for census’s sake. It is not about power, taxation, or military dominance. It is about visibility. About dignity. About who matters. God commands Moses … [Read more...]

There is a famous teaching in the Talmud that the Torah was given in the wilderness. It’s a curious detail—of all the possible places God might choose to deliver divine wisdom, why the desert? Why not wait until the Israelites had reached the Promised Land? Why not give the Torah in Egypt, while the people were still crying out for justice, to give them a taste of liberation and hope? But God chooses neither comfort nor crisis. God chooses the in-between. The Torah is given not in a palace … [Read more...]

What if we started over?Not as a thought experiment. Not as a provocation.But as a moral imperative. Because after October 7, everything changed.The illusion of safety? Shattered.The fantasy of universal acceptance? Gone.Jews around the world looked to their institutions—for clarity, courage, leadership.What we got instead: silence. Delays. Draft statements.Fear of backlash overtook fear of abandonment. And yet—something stirred.Outside the boardrooms, Jews were waking up. Organizing. … [Read more...]

They chanted “Globalize the Intifada.” Some applauded. Others rationalized. Many remained silent. But we—those of us who know our history, who have read between the lines—knew exactly what was being summoned. Today, two Israeli embassy officials are dead, reportedly gunned down by an assailant shouting “Free Palestine.” This isn’t an isolated act of violence. It’s the chilling realization of a slogan too many in the West defended as metaphor. But it was never metaphor. It was a promise. We … [Read more...]

In his compelling "State of World Jewry" address, Dan Senor provides an urgent reflection on the evolving challenges facing Jewish communities around the world. Senor’s message is clear-eyed yet hopeful, emphasizing the essential role education plays in securing a vibrant Jewish future. Central to his argument is the powerful and revealing statistic that alumni of Jewish day schools are more than twice as likely to feel deeply connected to their Jewish identity and four times as likely to feel a … [Read more...]

“You shall proclaim liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants” (Leviticus 25:10). If you've ever visited Philadelphia, you may have seen this verse engraved on the Liberty Bell. It's one of the few pieces of Torah that sits at the heart of American iconography. But most people have no idea that it comes from Parshat Behar, or what the surrounding context actually is. The verse comes from the laws of the Jubilee year—a once-in-a-generation reset, when land is returned to its … [Read more...]