G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like flames” (Jeremiah 23:29). Flames don’t burn unless they have fuel to consume. The same is true of G-d’s words. “For G-d your G-d is a consuming …
Read the full story »Re’e: A Cup Of Coffee
My Coffee SummitI have a vice, especially on long trips,called coffee. I got back to the car and shared this exchange with my wife. There is a sermon in this somewhere, she observed, and she was right. Here it is.
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Tu B’av: When Smaller Is Bigger
Self Doubt
Have you ever made a snap decision that radically altered your lifestyle? I’m talking about deciding to move to a place you were visiting, changed careers midcourse, or perhaps seeing something attractive in a particular teacher and making a snap decision to transfer your child to her class.
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Vaetchanan: Science and Faith
July 21, 1969
Monday July 21, 2009, marked forty years since Neil Armstrong, stepped off the Apollo 11 and set foot on the moon. Forty years is a long time; our sages taught that students do not fully assimilate lessons learned in their youth until forty years have passed. (1) Today, …
Vayeshev: Restoring The Neighborhood
The Celebrity
Imagine yourself living in a nice neighborhood where a well known celebrity chooses to make his home. Property values rise and for the first while you enjoy the distinction; you go out of your way to make the celebrity feel welcome. But time passes and the aura wears off. …
Matot Masei: The Anchored Journey
The Journey
This conversation occurs in every Jewish home and I’m sure yours is no exception.Wife: Honey, I think its time we take another step in our Jewish growth, what do you think it should be?Husband: Are you sure this is the right time? I mean we just sent the kids …
Pinchas: Embracing Our Past
Tradition
They tell a story of a man dressed in the traditional garb of an orthodox Rabbi who was reprimanded by a progressive Jew for living in the darkness of the Middle Ages and for forming the impression that Jews are a backward people. Excuse me, replied the man in traditional …
Chukat Balak: A Crafty Snake
The Complaint
After forty years of wandering the desert our ancestors stood poised to enter the Holy Land when G-d instructed Moses to reverse course and reenter the desert. Appalled, our ancestors were reminded of what happened to their forbearers thirty-eight years earlier.
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Korach: Moral Clarity
Subjective Morality
In a recent discussion group I asked if it is inherently immoral for a man to rape a woman. I was surprised by the willingness of some to tolerate the rapist. They conceded that rape was immoral from their own point of view, but argued that others might see …
Parsha Insights »
Bereshit: Name Calling
What’s In A Name?
Here is a trivia question for you: Can you name the first scientist in all of history? Here is another question: Is science the work of G-d or does it merely satisfy human curiosity?
If you guessed Adam, you guessed right. If you answered that science is G-d’s …
Yearly Cycle »
Find Your Light
The Shabbat before Passover is called Shabbat Hagadol, the great Shabbat. There are several reasons for this moniker, primarily that a great miracle occurred that day.
On this day, the Egyptian firstborn observed Jews leading lambs down the public streets to their homes. This was surprising because the Egyptians worshipped lambs. …
Concepts »
Beshalach: Rich and Humble
Oxymoron?
Is it possible to be rich and humble or is that an oxymoron? So many people grow haughty when they meet with success, but if you think about it logically, it makes little sense. If we take our measure by the depth of our bank account, we have little to …
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 …
