Headlines »

religion-of-no

Are We A Religion of No?

September 30, 2024 – 1:03 pm | Comments Off on Are We A Religion of No?63 views

One of the famous passages of the Rosh Hashanah liturgy is, “I remember the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, you followed me into the desert, a land that is not planted” (Jereimah 2:2).
This is our way of invoking the trust and devotion to G-d we demonstrated …

Read the full story »
Parsha Insights

Where Biblical law and Torah tale is brought vividly to life

Concepts

The Jewish perspective on topical and controversial subjects

Life Cycle

Probing for meaning in our journey and its milestones.

Yearly Cycle

Discover depth and mystique in the annual Jewish festivals

Rabbi’s Desk

Seeking life’s lessons in news items and current events

Elul, Nitzavim »

It Is Time for Your Spiritual ECG

September 25, 2024 – 11:31 am | Comments Off on It Is Time for Your Spiritual ECG
ECG

After several bouts of dizziness and lightheadedness, I was booked for an ECG and given a Holter Monitor to wear for 72 hours. This was my first experience with an ultrasound of my heart, and I had all kinds of questions. I hope I wasn’t a nuisance that morning, but the technician was thankfully patient.

It occurred to me that I was measuring my heart’s functionality during the month of Elul, a time when we assess our behavior and spiritual integrity. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, the day of judgment, we take our own measure. We assess ourselves during the past year and determine what to correct and how to improve. G-d, for His part, helps us “cleanse our hearts” (Deuteronomy 30:6). This way, when Rosh Hashanah arrives, G-d prescribes us a good, sweet year. Read the full story »

Are You A Parasite?

September 14, 2024 – 11:21 pm | Comments Off on Are You A Parasite?
parasites

Parasites live inside or on organisms of other species and feed off them. This is why parasitism is the ultimate insult. It means that you don’t provide for yourself, let alone contribute to others. You steal from others for your very existence.
In a sense, we are all parasitic. Every living …

Cancelling Cancel Culture

September 7, 2024 – 10:18 pm | Comments Off on Cancelling Cancel Culture
cancel-culture

We are told not to judge a book by its cover, but most of us do. In their inimitable way, our sages tell us, “Don’t look at the cask; look at the wine. Aged casks can be filled with new wine, and new casks can be filled with aged wine” …

Have You Changed?

August 31, 2024 – 11:17 pm | Comments Off on Have You Changed?
Crabapple-Tree

We have a large crabapple tree in our backyard; it has been there for decades. Over the years, its beautiful branches have served as climbing apparatus for many young hands and feet, and its wonderful leaves have provided pleasant shade for many a gathering or a book reader.
Its spring blossoms …

When Good people Do Nothing

August 25, 2024 – 8:58 pm | Comments Off on When Good people Do Nothing
triumph

On Wednesday, August 21, more than a hundred Jewish institutions across Canada received bomb threats. More emails went on the next day. Thank G-d, the threats were empty. The police responded with alacrity and determined that the buildings were safe. The police continue to investigate to identify the IP address …

Count Your Blessings

August 15, 2024 – 8:27 pm | Comments Off on Count Your Blessings
one-hundred-blessings

Eikev: Protect A Nation
It is natural for Jews to bless G-d. We are raised from childhood to see G-d’s hand behind everything that happens in life. So, when good things happen, we thank G-d, when bad things happen, we pray to G-d. We bless G-d before we eat, and after, …

Finding G-d

August 14, 2024 – 5:54 pm | Comments Off on Finding G-d
baren-desert

This week we marked the anniversary of the destruction of the first and the second Holy Temples in Jerusalem. This is without question the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. On this day, on the ninth of Av, we reflect on our exile and the many troubles we experienced. We …

Be An Unselfish Star

August 3, 2024 – 11:09 pm | Comments Off on Be An Unselfish Star
Star

Shortly before his passing, Moses translated the Torah into all the extant languages of his time. The Torah could now be read and understood in Egyptian, Hittite, Assyrian, Aramaic, etc. This was considered a good thing. Many years later, the Greek King Ptolemy commissioned seventy-two Jewish sages to translate the …

Israel’s War is My War

July 27, 2024 – 11:18 pm | Comments Off on Israel’s War is My War
Israel-war

“Will your brothers go to war while you sit here?”
After our ancestors conquered the lands on the East bank of the Jordan River, the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and half of Manasseh, asked for permission to settle there. The wide-open grasslands were perfect for pasture and these tribes were shepherds. …