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Chanukah: One Battle at A Time

December 3, 2023 – 8:23 pm | 52 views

The Maccabees won the war one battle at a time. The odds they took on were impossible, but they never thought about the future escalations. Their only concern was with the battle in front of them.
Their first military skirmish was against a minor garrison of soldiers. It was not difficult …

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Events in the News, Israel, Vayishlach »

Antisemitism Rears Its Ugly Head

November 25, 2023 – 10:02 pm |
antisemitism

Antisemitism has reared its ugly head again. It is no surprise. Antisemitism never really went away. Our sages taught that antisemitism is an unchanging, intractable scourge. Esau will always hate Jacob.[1] The only question is how close to the surface it lies.

The story of Esau and Jacob appears in the Torah portion we read this week. Esau was furious with his brother Jacob for absconding with their father’s blessings. Isaac had offered to bless Esau, and Jacob, dressed up to look like Esau, appropriated the blessings. Jacob fled their home to escape Esau’s wrath and returned thirty-four years later. But Esau was still angry. Read the full story »

Vayetze: A Time of Strength, Not Darkness

November 18, 2023 – 10:58 pm |
time of strength

Jacob traveled from Beer Sheva to Haran. Beer Sheva, Hebrew for the well of the oath, was named after the oath of friendship taken by Abraham and the Philistine king, Abimelech. Haran was named after the Hebrew word haron, which means anger. The people of Haran, chief among them Laban, …

The Jewish Core Emerges

November 15, 2023 – 7:17 pm |
Jewish Core

The Jewish core has emerged stronger than ever these past few weeks. The monstrous massacre, compounded by the public blaming Jews for it, was a murderous double stab to the collective Jewish heart. The fact that some of our decades-long friends and neighbors have turned on us so suddenly left …

I Love You

November 4, 2023 – 8:13 pm |
I Love You

“Creator of the world. Please, I love you. I’m in love with you. Please don’t disappoint me. I love you.”
These loving, pleading words came from Margalit Megidish as she prayed for her daughter, Ori, whom Hamas took hostage. Ori Megidish is a soldier who served on a base near Gaza …

The Power of Unity

October 28, 2023 – 9:24 pm |
power-of-unity

The power of unity is palpable across the holy land these days. It is an incredible shift from how things were less than a month ago. For many months, Jews were screaming at each other in support and in protest of the government’s planned judicial overhaul. The invectives hurled were …

On the Question of Human Shields

October 21, 2023 – 11:15 pm |
human shields

The question of human shields has been in the news a lot these past few weeks. As Israel responds to the heinous massacre of innocent civilians, men, women, and children, perpetrated by the sub-human Hamas terrorists, it is being accused of targeting innocent civilians.
Some of these accusers are the very …

The Opposite of Goodness Is Indifference

October 15, 2023 – 12:12 am |
indifference

Indifference is the opposite of goodness. This quote has been attributed to many, including Eli Wiesel. Its authorship notwithstanding, its message is powerful.
Noah was a righteous man, but he was not a good man because he was indifferent.  G-d selected Noah for survival because he was righteous and whole, but …

When G-d Begs Forgiveness

October 11, 2023 – 10:54 pm |
G-d Begs Forgiveness

This week we read that sometimes even G-d begs forgiveness. The story of Genesis tells us that when G-d first created the luminaries, He made the sun and the moon equal in stature—two equal rulers. How did the moon become so small and dependant on the sun for light?
The Talmud …

What Can We Do?

October 9, 2023 – 2:57 am |
what can we do

These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …