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May 27, 2023 – 11:40 pm | 58 views

The kohen (priest) plays many central roles in this week’s Torah portion. Primary among them is the priestly blessing. G-d endowed the kohen with the power to confer blessing. It is a potent power. Imagine holding the keys to another’s fortune and happiness. If you choose, you can endow them …

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Articles tagged with: Torah

Are You A Kosher Letter?

May 20, 2023 – 11:50 pm | 121 views
kosher letter

Every Jew is a letter in the Torah; the question is, are you a kosher letter?
The Torah tells us that 603,550 Jews came out of Egypt.[1] Kabbalah proclaimed that there are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah.[2] A prominent kabbalist further suggested that the Hebrew word Yisrael is an …

Shavuot: A Gift of Self

May 28, 2022 – 11:42 pm | 655 views
the chosen people

A gift of self is a thrilling gift. There are many kinds of gifts, but we almost never give away our very selves. We reserve our self exclusively for us. Weddings are the only exception. They are thrilling occasions because bride and groom give each other the gift of self.
Our …

Pekudei: Your Temple

February 26, 2022 – 10:01 pm | 1,218 views
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 …

Devarim: The Rational You

July 18, 2020 – 10:45 pm | 1,140 views
the-rational-you-innerstream.ca

The Torah is divided into two parts—the first four books and the last book. The last book is in a category of its own because it is largely written as if Moses were talking rather than as G-d talking. Rather than saying “Moses spoke” this book reads, “I spoke.”
However, before …

Chukat Balak: The Commandments

June 25, 2020 – 10:15 pm | 1,073 views
heart of religion - innerstream

 
The Torah’s laws about how to purify oneself from ritual contamination can only be prevalent at a time when ritual contamination is possible. Ritual contamination occurs when a Jew comes in contact with a dead body. When the Mashiach comes, the prophetic promise that death will cease and all the …

Emor: Long Nights

May 2, 2020 – 10:45 pm | 1,084 views
long-nights-innerstream.ca

Long nights are the hallmark of winter when most of our day is spent in the dark. Most people detest these long nights and look forward to the summer’s long days, but the truth is that there is something to be cherished in  these vanishing nights.
Long nights can be gloomy …

Simchat Torah: No Break

October 20, 2019 – 12:31 pm | 1,814 views
no-break-innerstream.ca

On Simchat Torah we read the last passage of the Torah, but we don’t stop for even a moment when we finish reading the Torah. Instead, we turn around and start over immediately from the first verse. There are many celebrations on Simchat Torah, but they come before we read …

Naso: Give Your Fellow A Lift

June 11, 2019 – 7:27 pm | 1,574 views
lift-innerstream.ca

Lift is an interesting word. In America, you give someone a lift, when you drive them to their destination. In England, it refers to an elevator. The British meaning makes more sense. A lift should lift you vertically; not transport you horizontally.
The concept of vertical lift is the subject of …