בס"ד

Torah in je leven integreren door reflectie en conversatie kan een ongelooflijk leuke en boeiende ervaring zijn. Het is een ontdekkingsreis waarbij oude wijsheid en tijdloze leringen tot leven komen in onze dagelijkse ervaringen. Door reflectie hebben we de mogelijkheid om diep in het rijke tapijt van Tora te duiken en er diepgaande inzichten en lessen uit te halen die resoneren met ons moderne leven. De vreugde ligt in de 'aha'-momenten, die momenten waarop een Torah-vers of -verhaal plotseling verbonden is met onze persoonlijke uitdagingen, aspiraties en waarden. En wanneer we met anderen over Torah praten, wordt het een interactief onderzoek, waarbij verschillende perspectieven en interpretaties ons begrip vergroten. Deze dialogen wekken vaak opwinding en intellectuele nieuwsgierigheid op, waardoor het leerproces zowel plezierig als bevredigend wordt. Tora wordt een levendig en dynamisch deel van ons leven, dat niet alleen leiding biedt, maar ook een bron van eindeloze fascinatie, verbinding en groei.

OPMERKING: Voel je niet verplicht om elke bron door te nemen of alle vragen te beantwoorden - tenzij je dat wilt. Zelfs één bron of één vraag geeft je genoeg stof voor discussie en meditatie. Geniet ervan!

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.

Denk nu na over de volgende vragen:

  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!

Door rabbijn Tani Burton

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