Over the past week, we have seen anti-Israel college takeovers with protestors openly declaring their desire to kill Jews and to render Israel—from the river to the sea—Juden Rein. The brazen tactics and bullying have left many Jewish students and faculty members afraid to venture onto campus. As we approach …
Read the full story »The Burned Offering
Our ancestors offered many kinds of sacrifices. Peace offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings and also burned offerings. What is a burned offering? An offering that is burned in its entirety upon the altar.
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Is it Condoned?
“Rabbi,” I am often implored, “Please don’t tell me that the Torah condones animal sacrifice.” Many believe that animal sacrifice is immoral and ought to be discarded in the modern, enlightened age. When I reply that animal sacrifice is still condoned and that should the temple be erected …
Forever
She was there at the very beginning and she is there for us still now. She was there at times of elation and was there in times of distress. She was there in times of hope and is still there in times of despair. She nurtured our faith under the …
Two Fears
In his first inaugural address, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself. “ (1) Contrast that with Moses, who proclaimed, in his final address to the nation, “All G-d your lord desires from you is that you fear him.” (2)
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North and South
What would you rather, wisdom or wealth? Sounds like a solomonic question, but our sages provided a road map. “If you seek wealth turn to the north and if you seek wisdom turn to the south.” But how exactly dos turning north or south provide wisdom or wealth? …
The Pawn
What is your favorite piece on the chess board? The queen, horse, castle and bishop are all important, but the pawn has one capacity that the others don’t, growth. The pawn is not at all versatile, it crawls forward one step at a time, yet when it reaches the …
A Prosaic Portion
The memory of the Ten Commandments at Sinai is stamped into the collective psyche of the Jewish people. It was the piece de resistance of spiritual achievement. A transcendental moment; our souls luxuriated in the presence of the divine, freed from the shackles of vanity and materialism.
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The Debate
When Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the Torah the angels objected. “G-d,” they declared, “Do you intend to squander this precious commodity on mankind? (1)
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