Torah -

Smokey Presence – A poem for Parsha Pekudei

March 27, 2025David Rutman

The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle. ~ Exodus 40:34 I bought a cocktail smoker recently.It is a pleasure to drink unadulterated whiskeyand a different pleasure to have oneinfused with the smoke of acacia woodor, more likely, oak. You place the smoker over the glassfill its basket […]

Fear and Loathing in the Desert – A poem for Parsha Ki Tisa

March 13, 2025David Rutman

Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face was radiant. They were afraid to approach him. ~ Exodus 34:30 We saw the Burning Bushon Moses’ face and wewere afraid of him. We desert bound peoplewho saw a sea partand frogs fall out of the sky We homeward-bound ex-slaveswho didn’t […]

Thirst – A poem for Parsha Beshalach

February 6, 2025David Rutman

God then said to Moses… “…You must strike the rock, and water will flow out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. ~ Exodus 17:5-6 The fake politician who fashions himself like Godcame to California to survey what the fire had takenand told our […]

A New Plague – A poem for Parsha Vaera

January 23, 2025David Rutman

Moses raised his staff toward heaven. God gave forth thunder and hail, and fire came down to the ground inside the hail, and God rained down hail over Egypt. ~ Exodus 9:23 I don’t like thinking about plagues in Januarybut everything is against me. Open up any Torah to its current page and it’s nothing […]

The Mule Was Our Idea – A poem for Parsha Vayishlach

December 12, 2024David Rutman

These are the sons of Tziv’on: Ayah and Anah. It was Anah who discovered how to breed mules in the desert, when he was tending the donkeys for his father Tziv’on. ~ Genesis 36:24 So much innovation has come from the desert.First, we taught horses and donkeys to love each otherand mules came along, our […]

Chayei Sarah – a poem for Chayei Sarah

November 21, 2024David Rutman

The following are the descendants of Ishmael son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s bondwoman, bore to Abraham. ~ Genesis 25:12 These are the names of our cousinswho bore more cousins, who bore more cousins. This kept happening until the entire worldwas full of our cousins and we forgot we were related and all […]

8 wealth-building tips for financial independence, a secure future

February 3, 2024February 3, 2024David Rutman

This week we have the privilege of reading the 10 commandments. At the beginning of the Torah portion we read about Yitro, the father-in-law of Moses. The first verse says, “And Priest of Midian, father-in-law of Moshe HEARD all that Elo-kim did for Moshe and for Israel His nation, for Hashem took Israel out of […]