בס "ד

Integrar la Torá en la propia vida a través de la reflexión y la conversación puede ser una experiencia increíblemente divertida y atractiva. Es un viaje de descubrimiento, en el que la sabiduría ancestral y las enseñanzas intemporales cobran vida en nuestras experiencias cotidianas. A través de la reflexión, tenemos la oportunidad de sumergirnos en el rico tapiz de la Torá, extrayendo profundas ideas y lecciones que resuenan en nuestras vidas modernas. La alegría reside en los momentos "ajá", aquellos en los que un versículo o una historia de la Torá conectan de repente con nuestros retos, aspiraciones y valores personales. Y cuando participamos en conversaciones sobre la Torá con otras personas, se convierte en una exploración interactiva, en la que diversas perspectivas e interpretaciones mejoran nuestra comprensión. Estos diálogos a menudo despiertan el entusiasmo y la curiosidad intelectual, haciendo que el proceso de aprendizaje sea agradable y satisfactorio. La Torá se convierte en una parte vibrante y dinámica de nuestras vidas, que nos ofrece no sólo orientación, sino también una fuente inagotable de fascinación, conexión y crecimiento.

NOTA: No te sientas obligado a consultar todas las fuentes ni a responder a todas las preguntas, a menos que quieras hacerlo. Incluso una sola fuente o una sola pregunta te dará mucho material para debatir y meditar. Disfrútalo.

Some thoughts about Parshat Mishpatim

“You shall not allow a witch to live.” (Exodus 22:17)

The Torah speaks sharply here. Why is witchcraft treated with such severity?

At its core, sorcery represents an attempt to access hidden forces within creation and direct them toward a desired outcome. It assumes that reality can be bent by technique, by knowledge of secret channels, by harnessing energies embedded in the fabric of the world. The practitioner seeks leverage.

The Torah sees something spiritually dangerous in this posture.

Every element of creation has an order, a structure, a boundary. The world unfolds according to patterns established by the Creator. When a person seeks to override those patterns through occult manipulation, something deeper is being disturbed: the acknowledgment of where power ultimately resides.

This raises a profound question.

If we are not meant to manipulate reality, what are we doing when we pray?

When someone stands beside a hospital bed and asks for healing, or prays for livelihood, or pleads for protection, that request is also directed toward change. Illness follows biological processes. Markets follow economic forces. History follows political currents. And yet we ask.

The difference lies in the orientation of the heart.

In prayer, a human being does not seize power; he stands before it. He recognizes that the natural world is not an independent machine. Its laws are sustained moment by moment by the One who spoke them into being. Asking for change becomes an act of relationship rather than control.

Prayer refines the person who prays. It forces clarity. It invites humility. It opens the possibility that what we seek must also be worthy. The words of the Amidah conclude, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You” (Psalms 19:15). Embedded in that sentence is a quiet submission: not only that I want something, but that I want what aligns with Your will.

For Noahides, this teaching is deeply relevant.

We live in an age fascinated by techniques—manifestation methods, energy practices, spiritual shortcuts, systems promising influence over unseen forces. The desire for leverage over reality has not disappeared; it has only modernized.

The Torah’s guidance is steady: cultivate relationship rather than control. Seek alignment rather than domination. Recognize that the world is governed by wisdom beyond our grasp, and that human dignity lies in partnership, not in override.

Prayer does not weaken initiative. It purifies it. We act, we work, we strive—but we do so while knowing that outcomes rest in higher hands.

The Psalmist captures this rhythm:

“Hope to the L-rd; be strong, and let your heart take courage, and hope to the L-rd.” (Psalms 27:14)

Strength and hope live together.

Ahora, reflexiona sobre las siguientes preguntas:

  1. When you ask for something in prayer, what inner posture do you bring—urgency, trust, fear, surrender?
  2. How do you distinguish between healthy initiative and the illusion of control?
  3. What practices in contemporary spirituality feel aligned with reverence for G-d, and which feel like attempts to bypass Him?
  4. How does acknowledging Divine sovereignty affect the way you respond to disappointment?
  5. In what areas of your life do you need more courage to act—and more humility to release outcomes?

¡Shabbat Shalom!

Por el rabino Tani Burton

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