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 …
Read the full story »Purim: The Boring Moments
The boring moments are, well, boring. Why do we need them, can’t G-d just give us a short life filled with thrills rather than a long life with long stretches of boring moments? Who wants to be stuck in traffic or wait on line at the supermarket? Who wants to …
Vayikra: Do It With Heart
Do it with heart, is the lesson we learn from the very first words that G-d ever uttered to Moses in the Tabernacle.
The very first time that G-d summoned Moses to the Tabernacle, G-d told Moses, “Go tell the Jewish people these captivating words: I am talking to you, you …
Pekudei: Your Temple
Did you know that your heart can be your temple, your brain can be your temple, your energy can be your temple, and your home can be your temple?
Several months after showing Himself to the Jewish nation at Sinai, G-d instructed Moses to build Him a Temple. At Sinai, every …
Vayekhel: With All You Got
Do you live with all you got, or do you hold back out of fear, shame, insecurity, or lack of confidence?
This week we read a special selection from the Torah in honor of the upcoming month, II Adar. It is about the half silver coin. G-d instructs Moses to take …
Ki Tisa: The Stubborn Ox
Have you ever seen a stubborn ox? The Haftorah this week tells the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. It was approximately 740 BCE and idol worship was rampant in Israel’s Northern Kingdom. Wanting to demonstrate the fallacy of idolatry, Elijah challenged the prophets of the idols to a contest …
Tetzaveh: Desperate for Mashiach
Are you desperate for Mashiach? If so, why? You live in the most stable and prosperous generation that Jews have experienced since the beginning of our exile. Why do you need Mashiach? You are not oppressed, suffering, impoverished, or persecuted. You are living well, you have the admiration of your …
Terumah: The Recipient
Whom do you think is more significant, the giver or the recipient? Most would say the giver, right?
Which do you think was better, the travelling Tabernacle or the permanent Temple? Good question, right?
The Tabernacle was mobile, and it spread its holiness around, the Temple was stationary and kept its holiness …
Mishpatim: The Little Guy
We often think of ourselves as the little guy. There are all kinds of important people in the world who do important things. I am just a little guy and I do little things.
We even back it up with an argument. The more important something is, the scarcer it tends …
Parsha Insights »
Bo: The Key Is Unity
Unity
The old saying, ‘united we stand, divided we fall’, conveys a pithy truth; if we knock others down on our path to success, it catches up with us in the long run and eventually knocks us down. What goes around comes around and no one is immune. We can’t grow …
Yearly Cycle »
Passover: A personal Spark
Let My People Go
Did you know that everything in your possession was intended by G-d for you to have yet before He created the world? As G-d created each specific object (or the properties from which the objects would be made) He determined its owner. Your couch, wallet, furniture and …
Concepts »
Noach: Inner Peace
How does one achieve inner peace?
To answer this question we must first ask, what factors deprive us of inner peace? There are all kinds of answers to the second question. Inner peace can be hampered by money stresses, family stresses, insecurity issues and many others. But I submit that the …
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 …
