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May 27, 2023 – 11:40 pm | 60 views

The kohen (priest) plays many central roles in this week’s Torah portion. Primary among them is the priestly blessing. G-d endowed the kohen with the power to confer blessing. It is a potent power. Imagine holding the keys to another’s fortune and happiness. If you choose, you can endow them …

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Are You A Kosher Letter?

May 20, 2023 – 11:50 pm | 121 views
kosher letter

Every Jew is a letter in the Torah; the question is, are you a kosher letter?
The Torah tells us that 603,550 Jews came out of Egypt.[1] Kabbalah proclaimed that there are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah.[2] A prominent kabbalist further suggested that the Hebrew word Yisrael is an …

I Wish I Were a Simpleton

April 2, 2023 – 1:17 am | 169 views
simpleton

Are you a simpleton? The Hagadah makes the simpleton sound, well, simple. The simpleton asks, “What is this?” What is the seder? Why do we eat matzah and bitter herbs? Why do we drink four cups of wine? Tell him that G-d extracted us from Egypt, from the house of …

In G-d We Trust

March 25, 2023 – 10:21 pm | 269 views
in-G-d-we-trust

In G-d We Trust
Do you trust in G-d? Is that your first go-to option when you experience a setback?
Suppose your car breaks down, you lose your job, or your dental insurance lapses just before your child needs a root canal, is your first reaction, “In G-d we trust?” Sadly, for …

The Buck Stops Here

March 4, 2023 – 10:46 pm | 209 views
buck stops here

The buck stops here, was a sign on the desk of President Harry S Truman. It is a spin off the aphorism, “pass the buck”—punting responsibility to someone up the line. When you are president, Truman would often say, the buck stops here. You are responsible. If you don’t like …

You Are Good

December 17, 2022 – 10:04 pm | 269 views
you are good

The Chanukah lights broadcast a simple message: you are good. Sometimes we think that if we lose our job, our relationships fail, we succumb to addiction, or are plagued by obsessions, if we are afflicted by doubts and insecurity, if we are sensitive and easily hurt, if we are manipulative …

The Modern Chanukah

December 10, 2022 – 9:34 pm | One Comment | 2,885 views
modern-chanukah

I want to tell you about the modern Chanukah message, but first we must begin with the old Chanukah tale.
“The strong in the hands of the weak, the many in the hands of the few.” This is how our liturgy describes the Chanukah miracle. The strong are the Syrian Greek …

Hakhel Gatherings on Sukkot

October 9, 2022 – 12:41 am | 421 views
hakhel-innerstream.ca

Hakhel: an international gathering of all Jews, men, women, and children, would take place once every seven years in Jerusalem. A platform would be erected in the Temple courtyard and the nation would gather to hear the king chant from the Torah. It always occurred on the second day of …

Shabbat Shuvah: The Loving Exam

September 28, 2022 – 10:37 pm | 373 views
loving-exam-innerstream.ca

The days of reckoning are here, and it is time for the loving exam. Most exams are associated with tension and trepidation. Irrespective of how well we know the material, proctors do their best to make it stressful. Fear of failure, fear of getting caught cheating, and fear of falling …