Telling Times contains insights and explorations of the weekly Torah portions, written over the course of a number of years, offering ideas and discussion points to enrich the Shabbat. Since Simchat Torah October 7th 2023, there has been an additional sense of mission and urgency in re-reading these Holy texts from the Beginning in the backdrop of these tragic, acute and also inspiring times. For me Parshat Hashavua, the weekly Torah readings became Parshat Derachim, crossroads, junctures, interpreting, guiding and perhaps bringing comfort to these agonizing times. These timeless texts became timely in remarkable ways, though a fascinating reflective if not classical learning mode involving both the core messages contained in the texts, and what we, in these harrowing times, bring to them.
The first section of the book consists of the yearly cycle of the Torah reading from Bereishit to V'Zot Habracha written in the aftermath of October 7th 2023, bringing us to Simchat Torah 5785, 2024. The remainder of the book contains Divrei Torah on each of the portions spanning a number of years, often also influenced by the joys and occasionally the oys of living in the State of Israel, which is such a privilege and a blessing.