Noach: When We Ask, G-d Listens
A man once petitioned Rabbi Nosson of Breslov for a blessing to find his match. He complained that he had been seeking the right woman for many years and had still not found her. Rabbo Nosson discerned that he was slipping into despair, so …
Vayera: Food for thought at your Dinner Table
Sunday: When did it Happen?
Abraham was visited by three angels, who told him that his son would be born “Lamoed Hazeh,” during the next holiday. According to all opinions this next holiday was Passover, however the date on which this promise was was was disputed by our sages. Some held …
Lech Lecha: Food for Thought At Your Dinner Table
Sunday: Self Discovery
Abraham could not truly discover his true nature till he divested himself from all outside influence. Till G-d instructed him to, “Go to you, from your land, your birthplace and your father’s home.”
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Noach: Food for Thought at your Dinner Table
Sunday – Ritual Mitzvot and Social Mitzvot
“The end of all flesh has come before me for the earth has filled with violence.” The “end of all flesh” is a euphemism for the prosecuting angel, who presents our misdeeds before G-d and demands that He punish us. When this angel appears …
Sukkot: Inside Outside
The Outdoors
In his book, “Inside Outside,” Herman Wouk describes the struggle of living a Jewish life in a non Jewish society. It is a masterful description of living by one set of values at home and encountering a different one on the street.
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Rosh Hashanah: Loving Silence
Does He Answer?
Rabbi,” she said, “The Torah states that G-d responds to our prayers and grants the favors we request, yet he has ignored my prayers. (1) I’ve been praying for months and my condition hasn’t improved.”
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Ki Tavo: Making it Relevant
Returning to Earth
Does a falling tree produce a sound if no one is around to hear it? Jewish philosophers never respond to such questions with a simple yes or no. Instead we reply, in perfect Talmudic cadence, if a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does …
Ki Teze: Why Usury is Forbidden
Brotherhood
Usury is not inherently wrong. On the contrary, it is critical to the conduct of business . Usury encourages banks to extend mortgages and loans, it enables entrepreneurs to establish or expand their business and it enables ordinary people to purchase homes and automobiles.
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Shoftim: Rabbinic Legislation
Where Does it Say?
The following question is one that rabbis commonly field. The written Torah is G-d’s law, but on what authority do Rabbis legislate new laws?
Its a fair question and it was first posed by the Talmud. Before kindling the Chanukah lights we chant a blessing, thanking G-d for …
Parsha Insights »
Vayikra: Do It With Heart
Do it with heart, is the lesson we learn from the very first words that G-d ever uttered to Moses in the Tabernacle.
The very first time that G-d summoned Moses to the Tabernacle, G-d told Moses, “Go tell the Jewish people these captivating words: I am talking to you, you …
Yearly Cycle »
Shofar and Rosh Hashanah
Wake Up Call
The Shofar is our wake up call, it reminds us to turn to G-d. Throughout the long year Jews are caught in the stream of life, pressures and worldly considerations take their toll. We stray from the proper path leaning to the material rather then the spiritual, tending …
Concepts »
New Years Greeting 5763: Tears for Israel
The
New Year is almost upon us and we prepare to greet it with the usual
pomp. This year however, the celebration will lie as a terrible burden
upon the hearts of many. Our brothers and sisters are mourning across
the planes of our beloved land, Israel.Entire
families are mourning the loss of Bubbies and …
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 …
