It is easy to find holiness in the miraculous and extraordinary. The Passover challenge is to find holiness in the ordinary, everyday moments.
Read the full story »The Real You Is Perfect
Perfection is not part of the human experience; in fact, perfectionism is usually unhealthy, but perfection is part of the Divine experience. And here is the surprising truth. At your very core, in your most essential state of being, you are a sliver of the Divine. This means that the …
The Superbowl Grind
Every year, the world gears up for the Superbowl, and even people who don’t follow football take an interest. Somehow, the NFL has captured the imagination of the masses; the show, the glitz, the contest, and the party combine to make it an entertaining evening.
The fans see the final product. …
A Path to Victory
A story about the path to victory has recently circulated on social media: A mother asked her son, a soldier in Tzahal returning home on leave from Gaza, “What is the first thing you plan to do when you get home. He replied: “Hang a picture of the Bet Hamikdash—the …
Time for Torah
Mishpatim: Time for Torah
The morning after our ancestors arrived at Sinai, Moses presented G-d’s proposal to appoint them His precious treasure, a kingdom of ministers, and a holy nation. Their reply: “All that G-d said, we will do.”[1]
Two days later, Moses told them that G-d would issue the Ten Commandments …
The Lightkeeper
Boston Light, the first lighthouse to be built in what would become the United States was also the last lighthouse to have an official keeper. Sally Snowman stepped down from the role as the world slipped into 2024.
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The Secret Alef
The secret alef is the mystery of this week’s Torah portion. Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Hebrew letters also serve as numbers. Thus, alef is one; it represents G-d, who exists alone. He is one, and there is no other. By that, we mean not only …
Distance Strengthens the Bond
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 …
A Father’s Happiness
Vayechi: A Father’s Happiness
If you needed a thousand dollars to pay your bills, would you get down on your knees and beg someone for help? Would you stand on the street with a tin cup and beg for alms?
Most of us would not demean ourselves that way for money. Money …
Parsha Insights »
Vayikra: When Small Is Great
The Humble Moses
The book of Leviticus begins with the sweeping majesty of Moses’ first entry into the tabernacle. “Vayikra,” G-d called unto Moses and invited him to the Tent of Meeting. Uplifting and inspiring as the moment was, Moses, understood that small is great, received his honor in abject humility. In …
Yearly Cycle »
Sukkot: G-d’s Holiday
Why and When
Sukkot, the festival of Tabernacles, is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month Tishrei. It celebrates the clouds of glory that G-d provided for our ancestors in the desert. For forty years, they were sheltered from the desert’s elements by the clouds that G-d dispatched to …
Concepts »
Ki Teze: The Size of a Mitzvah
G-d did not disclose the nature of the reward that we receive for performing a Mitzvah so that we would not give preference to any ne Mitzvah over another. However, lest we assume that difficult-to-perform-mitzvot are more important than those that come easily, the Torah presents us with two mitzvot …
Rabbi’s Desk »
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 …
