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March 16, 2024 – 11:20 pm | Comments Off on Purim: A Nation United41 views

The die was cast. King Achashverosh granted Haman a genocidal license against the Jewish nation. Mordechai was one of the first to learn of the plot and he appealed to Queen Esther for help. Esther explained that it was dangerous even for her to enter the king’s chambers unbidden. Mordechai …

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Articles in Vaeirah

Distance Strengthens the Bond

January 6, 2024 – 7:43 pm | Comments Off on Distance Strengthens the Bond183 views
distance strengthens the relationship

Last week we talked about surviving in exile by finding meaning in it. This week, I want to ask a question. Finding meaning in the exile is lovely, but what good does it do if our connection to G-d is compromised? Scattered worldwide, we lose our cohesion and ability to …

Why Ten Plagues?

January 15, 2023 – 3:02 pm | Comments Off on Why Ten Plagues?620 views
ten plagues innerstream.org

This week we are introduced to the ten plagues. Seven plagues appear in our Torah portion and the last three appear in next week’s Torah portion. Have you ever noticed that there are ten plagues, ten commandments, and G-d Created the world with ten utterances? What is the common link?

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Va’era: Realize Your Worst Fears

December 25, 2021 – 8:07 pm | Comments Off on Va’era: Realize Your Worst Fears18,732 views
worst-fears-innerstream.ca

Realizing your worst fears can be frightful. Deep inside we all have that abiding fear that we tamp down and bury far beneath the surface. It might be a fear of failure, a fear of being mocked, a fear of heights, a fear of darkness. Whatever our fears are, we …

Vaera: G-d is in Control

January 9, 2021 – 7:22 pm | Comments Off on Vaera: G-d is in Control1,073 views
G-d is in control

G-d is in control, is a mantra I have long lived with, but it came into sharp relief in the recent past. Last week, my family and I emerged from quarantine. Everyone in our household tested positive for COVID and thank G-d, we all recovered. We are most grateful for …

Vaera: The Great Escape

December 26, 2018 – 9:50 am | Comments Off on Vaera: The Great Escape1,718 views
escape-innerstream.ca

The entire Jewish ordeal in Egypt was an effort to escape. What were they escaping from?
The minutia of mundane pleasures. The Jewish people were singled out to receive the Torah at Sinai. They were poised to climb to the precipice, to scale the greatest spiritual heights, but they were trapped …

Vaeira: Doing Our Best

January 6, 2018 – 9:02 pm | Comments Off on Vaeira: Doing Our Best2,147 views
our-best-innerstream.ca

Children And Adults
The roaring twenties were not so roaring for the Jewish community of Poland. The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s trusted disciple, Rabbi Yechezkel (Chatshe) Fegin administered the Chabad network of Jewish schools in the region, but there was always a lack of funding. One day, Rabbi Fegin informed the Rebbe that …

Vaera: Do You Volunteer?

January 21, 2017 – 11:13 pm | Comments Off on Vaera: Do You Volunteer?2,588 views
volunteer-innerstream.ca

Too Busy to Volunteer
Volunteering is a way of life for many people. We derive so much pleasure from sharing our time, energy and resources with those in need. The sight of a grateful smile, gladdens the heart and inspires the soul. It motivates us to volunteer even more.
But for many …

Vaera: The Bane of Arrogance

January 2, 2016 – 9:09 pm | Comments Off on Vaera: The Bane of Arrogance3,467 views
arrogance - innerstream.ca

Arrogance
Judaism has unique ideas, ones you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else. For example, Judaism teaches that the king (for that matter the president, prime minister or any other kind of leader) be the humblest in all of society. While arrogance is a sin for all people, it is …