Do you tend to live in the moment or in your head? When we go on vacation, we always see people experiencing beautiful vistas through the camera’s lens. They want to record the moment for posterity. But they are inside their head, not in the moment. To be in the …
Read the full story »New Year Greeting 5766: Emotional Disengagement
As we enter the new year the catchword in the Jewish world is the word “disengagement.” Some are in favor, others opposed but everyone is talking about it. Should Jews voluntarily disengage from portions of the holy-land or are our ties to our country too deep to easily disengage? It is interesting …
Ha’azinu : The Rainmaker
Rain and Dew
When on vacation I like to rise early to study, pray and enjoy the crisp ambiance of an early summer morning. Some mornings I awake to the patter of rainfall as a soft drizzle sprinkles the ground and cools the air. Other mornings I awake to glorious and …
YOM KIPPUR: A Day at Shull
Droves of people, through the aisles, in a seemingly endless stream. They have gathered for a special occasion; it is an evening of repentance, an evening of devotion and perhaps most importantly an evening of commitment. For this is the holiest of Jewish holidays, it is the evening of Yom …
Vayelech : Why We are Here
A Perfect G-d
The High Holiday liturgy marks Rosh Hashanah as the anniversary of creation, a good time to ponder the meaning of creation and of life. (1) Was there a purpose? Does this purpose endow our life with meaning?
Niztavim: The Art of Repentance
A Simple MeditationRabbi Levik of Bardichev once interviewed a long list of candidates for the position of Shofar blower. (One who sounds the ram’s horn during the service on Rosh Hashana.) The rabbi passed over many illustrious scholars and profound meditators in favor of a fairly unsophisticated young man.
Noach: Heaven and Earth
Regret and Comfort
G-d created man and then placed him on earth. But when man rebelled against morality G-d had second thoughts and brought about the flood. In describing these second thoughts the Torah uses the word “Vayinachem”, a Hebrew word that has two meanings, (a) he regretted, (b) he was comforted. …
Ki Tavo : The art of gratitude
Many Helping Hands
Ben Zoma used to say,”How many labors Adam carried out before he obtained bread to eat! He plowed, he sowed, he reaped, he bound, he threshed and winnowed and selected the ears, he ground, and sifted, he kneaded and baked, and then at last he ate; whereas I …
Ki Tetze : The Struggle to Improve
The Wayward Son
He was a glutton for meat and drank alcohol to excess. He disobeyed his parents at every turn, mocking their pleas and their attempts at discipline. He refused accept instruction. Instead he sought to instruct his parents.. He demanded that they pay for his excessive habits, and when …
Parsha Insights »
Vaetchanan: Inadvertent Murder
The Refugee
We are all familiar with the modern notion of refugee. Our cities provide a haven of refuge for victims of instability and violence the world over, who petition our country for asylum. When our ancestors entered Israel, they too appointed cities of refuge. However, these cities were not populated …
Yearly Cycle »
Sukkot: The Prevailing Custom
A Custom Product
My earliest memories of the last day of Sukkot is of the market place set up in front of the large Synagogue of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Brooklyn, New York. All night long, the sidewalk at 770 Eastern Parkway was a teeming marketplace of willow sales.
“Five dollars a …
Concepts »
Balak: Weed is Now Legal
Canada has recently legalised weed, so we must ask, what is the Jewish perspective on weed?
Marijuana, or weed as it is known in the vernacular, is a derivative of the cannabis plant. On the surface, plants are kosher. The only thing to avoid when eating plants, are bugs, and by …
Rabbi’s Desk »
The Passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
It has been around a year since the world has lost a great leader with the passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Who will be his successor?
There will be millions beginning with me and you.
Rabbi Sacks was a unique and leading voice among rabbis in our generation. His keen intellect and …
