When G-d disciplines us, the pain is real—but it is born of love. When He gives freely, we feel His kindness. When He withholds or corrects, His love is less visible—but in truth, it runs even deeper.
Read the full story »Rosh Hashanah: A Basic Overview
The Jewish New Year
The Rosh Hashanah holiday falls on the first day of the Jewish year. The Torah describes this holiday in three different ways, a day of Judgment, a day of repentance and a day of the Shofar. While there are many nuances and meanings to this holiday, it …
Concepts: Invitation
Welcome to Innerstream's “Concepts” section, where essays are posted on the Jewish milestones in the cycle of life.
If you would like to explore any of these essays please click on one of the links in the “Concepts”
section of the menu, on the left side of your screen. The menu also
contains …
Yearly Cycle: Invitation
Welcome to Innerstream's “Yearly Cycle” section, where essays are posted on Jewish holidays and other days of note.
If you would like to explore any of these essays please click on one of
the links in the “Yearly Cycle” section of the menu, on the left side of
your screen. The menu also …
Life Cycle: Invitation
Welcome to Innerstream’s “Life Cycle” section, where essays are posted on the Jewish milestones in the cycle of life.
If you would like to explore any of these essays please click on one of the links provided below. These links are also available in the menu on the left side of your screen. The …
Life Cycle: Marriage
Adam and Eve
On the sixth of
creation G-d created man. As soon as Adam was created, G-d immediately
remarked that “It is not good for man to sit alone”(Genesis 2: 18) and
proceeded to create Eve.
Immediately
following the birth of Eve, the Torah gives us our first insight into
marriage; “A man shall therefore leave …
Life Cycle: Circumcision
Entering the Ranks
The Hebrew word for Circumcision is Brit Milah (the Covenant of
Circumcision). When we circumcise our children we are in effect
fulfilling their personal covenant with G-d.
Through the Brit they are allowed entry into the ranks of our nation.
At this moment they connect with the millions of Jewish souls that …
Life Cycle: Childhood
Innocence of Youth
The magical age
of childhood is one of purity and innocence. The simple trust that a
child places in his parents, the simple faith a child places in G-d is
the essence of holiness and beauty. It is precisely this innocence that
serves as a foundation for adulthood and life.
The child’s
perception is …
Life Cycle: Birth
Bringing
a child into the world is the greatest blessing that G-d has bestowed
upon mankind. When we give birth, we form a partnership with G-d in the
act of creation.
In birth we
become a part of creation ex-nihilo, creating something out of nothing.
A fetus that simply did not exist before has suddenly …
Parsha Insights »
Ki Teze: Earn Your Blessing
Content to Take
Inherent in human nature is the desire to make our own way in life. Constant dependence on the largess of others is abhorrent to us. How many children of Billionaires opt for a life of leisure and constant dependence? Most want to contribute to their parents business or …
Yearly Cycle »
The 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 …
Concepts »
Life Is Not a Game of Chance
Is life a game of chance? Everyone I know would say no. We don’t like to leave anything to chance. We make deliberate choices about the schools we attend, the friends we embrace, the careers we pursue, and the hobbies we adopt. Most of us have short and long-term goals. …
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 …
