When we are jealous, we measure our value by others’ success. We can’t be like others. We were born to be ourselves. When we accept that limitation, we begin to shine.
Read the full story »Bamidbar Give and Take
Give and Take in Life
When my great aunt was a little girl she lived in a large apartment. Times were difficult, many of her family’s friends were homeless and she was routinely asked to give up her bed for someone in need. One day she complained to her father about …
Shavuot: A Four Step Program
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 …
Bechukotai: Labor over Torah
True Labor
The first Mitzvah that the Almighty singles out for reward in our Parsha is that of Torah study.[1] But we aren’t rewarded for the mere study of Torah. We are rewarded for laboring over the Torah. It has been pointed out that this is the only instance where labor …
Bechukosai: The Gender Crisis
Gender Issues
Even if you live in a cave somewhere in the mountains of Tibet, you have likely heard of the North Carolina Bathroom Bill that requires people to use the bathroom of their birth gender. This law has sparked a gender crisis because there are increasingly those who don’t identify …
Behar: Alone In The World
Entebbe
Next month will mark the fortieth anniversary of Israel’s finest hour, the hostage rescue at Entebbe. When the crisis began in June of 1976, Israel firmly believed that the fate of the Jewish hostages was the legal responsibility of France, under whose flag the airplane had flown when it was …
Emor: Your Best Days Are Still Ahead
A Homerun
Something magical happened in San Diego in the spring of 2016. Bartolo Colón, a pitcher of nearly forty-three years of age, proved that his best days are still ahead of him. He became the oldest player in Major League Baseball, to hit his first homerun. Bartolo has terrorized batters …
Kedoshim: The Inner Jew
A Confusion
One thing you could always assume in years past was that holy Jews looked the part. Long beard, wrinkled forehead, sparkling eyes and visage filled with wisdom. Bent over ancient tomes, or lovingly performing a Mitzvah, these people were energetic, learned, pious and driven. Their outer appearance reflected their …
David: For Whom the Sun Always Shone
The world lost a special man last night. A man who walked quietly, but whose tread was heard loudly. A man who rarely addressed audiences, but who love was felt by many. A man who smiled sweetly and suffered greatly. A man who never stopped believing that all is for …
Parsha Insights »
D’varim: The Lover’s Rebuke
This week we begin to read the book of Deuteronomy. In reading this book we develop a profound respect for leaders such as Moses. Standing on the verge of death Moses prepared to bid his people farewell. He leaves them his final will and testament.
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Yearly Cycle »
Make Your Desert Bloom
Every year, we read a Torah portion called Bamidbar—in the desert—on the Shabbat before Shavuot. This portion describes the census of the Jews in the desert. Just as we count forty-nine days and then celebrate Shavuot, so should we read about the counting of the Jews and then celebrate Shavuot.
This …
Concepts »
Dvarim: The Power Of Words
The other day, my nephew Yisrolik Zalmanov was reading a book, when my son asked,
“Isn’t it boring to sit around all day and read? Books are just words.”
“Yes,” replied my nephew, “but words tell stories and stories are interesting. For example, you enjoy listening to story tapes and those too …
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 …
