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February 1, 2025 – 9:33 pm | Comments Off on This Is My G-d67 views

In this Torah portion, the Jews made one of history’s most dramatic and romantic statements. When G-d split the Red Sea, they were overcome with emotion. “This is my G-d,” they exclaimed, “and I will beautify Him.” They didn’t say this is G-d or even this is our G-d; they …

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Articles in Va’etchanan

Finding G-d

August 14, 2024 – 5:54 pm | Comments Off on Finding G-d204 views
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 …

A Message of Comfort

July 23, 2023 – 1:59 pm | Comments Off on A Message of Comfort919 views
comfort

On the Shabbat after Tishah Be’av, we seek comfort and inspiration. The Torah portion that we read this week serves up heaping portions of inspirational tidbits on generous platters. But it begins with a morbid moment: G-d refusing Moses’ plea to enter Israel.
On Tishah Be’av our people were exiled from …

My Shabbat

August 7, 2022 – 11:08 pm | Comments Off on My Shabbat1,231 views
shabbos - innerstream

Today we have Myoffice, Mydrive, my-everything, so why not My-Shabbat?
At first blush, it ought to be our Shabbat, or most appropriately G-d’s Shabbat. How can we claim Shabbat for ourselves?
The answer is that we each have the capacity to enhance our Shabbat. Our sages wrote that only he who toils …

Vaetchanan: The Full Moon

July 18, 2021 – 7:14 pm | Comments Off on Vaetchanan: The Full Moon1,364 views
full-moon

This Shabbat will be special because the full moon will shine on Friday night. The full moon occurs every month but is most important in the month of Av. The Temple’s destruction on the ninth day of this month was the low point in Jewish history. At that time, it …

Va’etchanan: Unwarranted Love

July 27, 2020 – 7:58 pm | Comments Off on Va’etchanan: Unwarranted Love1,662 views
unwarranted-love-innerstream.ca

Unwarranted love means to love someone that you have every right to hate. Jewish law has an extensive code around offering forgiveness and outlines specific cases in which we are not required to forgive. The ethic of unwarranted love summons us not only to forgive such people but also to …

Vaetchanan: True Love

August 11, 2019 – 11:11 pm | Comments Off on Vaetchanan: True Love2,176 views
priest - innerstream

G-d wants our love. How much love does He want? Whatever we are prepared to give, and then some.
“And you shall love G-d with all your heart, with all your life, and with all your might.”[1] This verse demands that we give G-d three kinds of love. The love of …

Vaetchanan: The Link

July 22, 2018 – 9:48 pm | Comments Off on Vaetchanan: The Link2,402 views
the-link-innerstream.ca

The link between past and present is critical to Judaism. Without a past, we don’t have a present, and won’t have a future. Judaism exists today only because every past generation chose to absorb its predecessors’ teachings and transmit it to their successors. Had only two or three successive generations …

Vaetchana: Recovering from Grief

July 30, 2017 – 12:42 pm | Comments Off on Vaetchana: Recovering from Grief3,418 views
grief-innerstream.ca

When Grief Debilitates
This Shabbat is all about comfort. After commemorating the destruction of both Jewish Temples this Tuesday, we are in a state of grief and in significant need of comfort. Yet the question is how does one find comfort after such immense grief? If we find it difficult to …