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It was that time of year again. Once a year, for a single day, the legendary Buddhist guru would emerge from his solitary meditation to greet the public. Thousands of people would flock to his far-flung residence to greet him. Some came to ask questions, seeking his wisdom and advice, while others came just to lay eyes on this legendary figure.

I will never forget what happened that night. After going to hundreds of lectures and giving quite a few myself, I thought I’d seen it all. But I had never seen anything quite like this.

This week’s parshah tells the story of Avram going to war to rescue his nephew, Lot. Archaeology and history, along with the teachings of Chazal, can give more insight into the story.

As we begin the new Torah cycle, let’s take a moment to contemplate the deeper purpose of Torah. Some may refer to the Torah as a history book; others may think of it as a book of law or a source of Jewish wisdom. While these are all true, they only scratch the surface of the Torah’s true nature.

A father set out one day to teach his young daughter a powerful lesson. When she woke up in the morning, he took her in front of a mirror and asked her, “What do you see?”
She smiled and answered, “I see myself!”
He then took her to the window and asked her, “What do you see now?”

A speaker once started his seminar by holding up a $100 bill. “Who would like this $100 bill?” he asked.
Every hand in the room went up.
The speaker looked around, and then crumpled the bill in his hand.