What unique qualities did Moses have that convinced a nation of oppressed slaves that he was their redeemer?
Read the full story »
Life Is Beautiful, Passover »
Finding G-d in the Everyday
On the first day of the month of Nissan, fifteen days before the Exodus, G-d said to Moses, “This month, you and I will be redeemed, for we will be redeemed together” (Shemot Rabbah 15:2). What happens to us happens to G-d. If we are in exile, so is G-d. If His children are free, G-d is free as well.
That sounds beautiful and deeply stirring—but what does it mean that G-d is in exile, and what does it mean that G-d is free? We know very well what exile means for us. We have plenty of experience with that. But what do exile and freedom mean for G-d? And why should His freedom depend on us? Read the full story »
Marinating In Divine Thoughts
The only way to build a home for G-d is to make space in our hearts for G-d. This means marinating in Divine thoughts..
Purim: G-d Pays His Debts
We often think life is unfair. It helps to look back on our lives and at history. We usually discover that G-d pays His debts. In the end, everything is fair.
Stones that Open A Heart
This week, we study the vestments worn by the High Priest as he performed his service in the Temple. The High Priest represents the epitome of holiness; he is the closest a human can be to G‑d. Selected to represent the entire nation in prayer, supplication, offering, and song to …
Your Body Is a Temple
The Torah whispers a radical idea in our ears: G-d said to Moses: “Make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in them.” Not “in it,” but “in them” — within the people who build it.
G-d dwells within each of us. Every one of us can become a sanctuary. We can turn our bodies into G-d’s temple.
Make G-d Your Partner
What are your morning rituals? What rituals does G-d want for you? How do they make you G-d’s partner?
The Gift of Being “Extra”
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.
Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself
When you trust in G-d, you know that circumstances and people can’t harm you. You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Why Jews Need An Army
When we want to pray, our minds wander; it is a battle to maintain concentration. When we want to give to charity but feel drawn to use the money for ourselves, we are at war with ourselves. When we struggle with lust, greed, dishonesty, pride, anger, and envy, we are at war.
Parsha Insights »
Do You Have The Courage To Be Free?
Do we have the courage to be free? As we read about our ancestors leaving Egypt, we realize that they took a huge leap of faith. In retrospect it seems simple. They left a land of suffering and bondage and embarked on an idyllic journey through the desert where food …
Yearly Cycle »
Bo : Light and Dark Intertwined
The Ninth Plague
The plague of darkness was such that “no person could see his brother, nor could any person rise from his place for three days. (However) the children of Israel had light in all their homes.” (1)
Tweet
Concepts »
Toldot: Stop the Bullying
Tolerating is Enabling
Do you know anyone who does nothing, but expects the world of everyone else? You know, the manipulative kind who never did a stitch of housework but raises a stink if the house is untidy or who won’t be caught dead in the kitchen, but beware if his …
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 …
