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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 Shavuot

Are You A Kosher Letter?

May 20, 2023 – 11:50 pm | Comments Off on Are You A Kosher Letter?469 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 …

Shavuot: A Gift of Self

May 28, 2022 – 11:42 pm | Comments Off on Shavuot: A Gift of Self909 views
the chosen people

A gift of self is a thrilling gift. There are many kinds of gifts, but we almost never give away our very selves. We reserve our self exclusively for us. Weddings are the only exception. They are thrilling occasions because bride and groom give each other the gift of self.
Our …

Shavuot: Stay Another Day

May 24, 2020 – 12:25 am | Comments Off on Shavuot: Stay Another Day1,369 views
stay-another-day-innerstream.ca

Stay another day is a chant we hear from our children when a magical, wonderful vacation comes to an end. We don’t want to leave, they exclaim. This is so beautiful; we want to stay another day.
We all have that experience when a wonderful vacation comes to an end. It …

Shavuot: Ten Commandments of Parenting

June 1, 2019 – 10:55 pm | Comments Off on Shavuot: Ten Commandments of Parenting4,594 views
ten-commandments-of-parenting

The ten commandments of parenting is an appropriate topic to discuss in the days leading up to Shavuot, the day we received the Ten Commandments.
On several occasions the Torah casts us as G-d’s children and G-d as our parent. It therefore stands to reason that by studying the Ten Commandments, …

Re’e: The Missing Festival

August 4, 2018 – 11:47 pm | Comments Off on Re’e: The Missing Festival2,227 views
festival-innerstream.ca

The festival of Sukkot falls on the fifteenth of Tishrei, two weeks into the new Jewish year. Accordingly, the Torah tells us, in Exodus 34:22, to celebrate Sukkot at the turn of the year. However, there is a discrepancy. Eleven chapters earlier, Exodus 23:16 told us to celebrate Sukkot at …

Bamidbar: Does Being Chosen Make You Uncomfortable?

May 24, 2017 – 10:09 pm | Comments Off on Bamidbar: Does Being Chosen Make You Uncomfortable?2,519 views
being-chosen-innersteram.ca

Being Chosen
People always say, never let a compliment get to your head. But what does that mean? If the compliment is true, shouldn’t we own it, take pride in it and let it boost our self esteem? The obvious answer is that we don’t mind owning it. We mind growing …

Shavuot: A Four Step Program

June 5, 2016 – 1:01 am | Comments Off on Shavuot: A Four Step Program3,091 views
four-step-program-innerstream.ca

In preparation for Shavuot, we present Judaism’s four step program. Everything that G-d created can be used for constructive or destructive purpose. It can be unifying or divisive.
Take walls for example. Are walls good or bad? Ronald Regan became world famous when he challenged Mr. Gorbachev to take down a …

Post Shavuot: The Printing Press

May 2, 2016 – 5:20 pm | Comments Off on Post Shavuot: The Printing Press2,997 views
printing-press-innerstream.ca

Resolutions
The classic New Year resolution to lose weight is practiced assiduously during the first week. The classic Rosh Hashanah commitment to increase in a particular Mitzvah is also practiced assiduously during the first few days. After the first week or so, life gets in the way and we begin to …