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 »Sukkot: Our Wholesome Oneness
The Thatched Roof
The Sukkah is the ultimate equalizer. The prosperous and the impoverished, the knowledgeable and the ignorant, the righteous and the ruffian; all sit in the same Sukkah. And all Sukkahs are alike. It is true that some are adorned and others plain, some plush and other simple, some …
Rosh Hashanah: The Shofar Cries; A Nation Journeys
The Cry
Its plaintive sound sets the heart throbbing; its haunting cry like the sob of a young child. It’s Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, and the sound we speak of is the call of the Shofar. Tekiah, the long plain blast, is the drawn out howl a child emits …
Nitzavim: We Cannot Lose
The Day
The Torah portion chanted on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah opens with, “Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem Lifnei Hashem Elokeichem,” you stand [firmly] all together today, before G-d your lord. (1)
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Ki Tavo: Faith and Trust
The Last Sermon
Shortly before his passing Moses addressed the nation: “You have seen all that the Lord has done before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land; the great trials which your eyes beheld and those great signs and wonders. …
New Year Greeting 5771: Unity
On November 7th of this year our community will join with communities across the world in a global day of learning; a showing of unity through the study and discussion of our common heritage. The event celebrates the conclusion of Rabbi Adin Steinzalt’s mammoth project, the translation and annotation of …
Elul: A Rose Among Thorns
A Curious Verse
Describing our relationship with G-d, King Solomon, wisest of all men, wrote, “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me; who grazes among the roses,” (1) a curious statement if ever there was one. The first half of the verse is perfect and symmetrical. I …
Shoftim: Let The Teachers Teach
Leading By Example
“Judges and guards shall you appoint over you at all your gates.” (1) This biblical passage establishes the halachic foundation for a Jewish Judicial system. The two primary players in the system are the judges and the guards. There can be no justice without judges, who issue halachic …
Ree: Smiles on Loan
A Running Servant
I have always wrestled with the following Talmudic teaching.
The Torah states, “If there will be among you a needy person, from one of your brothers in one of your cities, in your land that the Lord, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, …
Parsha Insights »
Eikev: Unsatisfied?
Manna
“And he afflicted you, he made you hunger and he fed you the Manna” (Deuteronomy 8:3) To describe the Manna experience as one of hunger and affliction seems a bit curious, what did the Torah have in mind?
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Yearly Cycle »
Rosh Hashanah: The Shofar – Humility and Strength
Three Blasts
On the holiday of Rosh Hashanah we sound three variations of Shofar blasts. tekiah, a long blast, shevarim and teruah, variations of short blasts. Each set of blasts begins with a tekiah, followed by a shevarim or teruah, and concludes with a tekiah. The shevarim and teruah are thus …
Concepts »
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 …
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 …
