Do you peddle in relative truths, or are you a stickler for the absolute truth? This essay examines the two types of truth and posits that G-d’s truth is absolute.
Read the full story »Life Cycle: Circumcision
Entering the Ranks
The Hebrew word for Circumcision is Brit Milah (the Covenant of
Circumcision). When we circumcise our children we are in effect
fulfilling their personal covenant with G-d.
Through the Brit they are allowed entry into the ranks of our nation.
At this moment they connect with the millions of Jewish souls that …
Life Cycle: Childhood
Innocence of Youth
The magical age
of childhood is one of purity and innocence. The simple trust that a
child places in his parents, the simple faith a child places in G-d is
the essence of holiness and beauty. It is precisely this innocence that
serves as a foundation for adulthood and life.
The child’s
perception is …
Life Cycle: Birth
Bringing
a child into the world is the greatest blessing that G-d has bestowed
upon mankind. When we give birth, we form a partnership with G-d in the
act of creation.
In birth we
become a part of creation ex-nihilo, creating something out of nothing.
A fetus that simply did not exist before has suddenly …
Life Cycle: Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Held Accountable
The Hebrew words “ar/Bat Mitzvah mean “one who is held accountable for the
Mitzvos”. The Bar Mitzvah ceremony celebrates the official entry of a
child into the religious ranks of adulthood.
According to Torah, children are not required to observe the
commandments of Torah until they reach the religious age of maturity.
For a …
Life Cycle: Honoring Parents
When Parents Honor Parents
The positive
flow of love and warmth in every household is crucial to the proper
upbringing of children. Children that are confident in their parents’
love will love their parents in return and seek to please them at every
opportunity.
When a household
is well balanced with love and respect the children …
Life Cycle: Death and Mourning
Life In Preperation
The Torah
maintains that life in this world is only a corridor that leads to a
better and higher world. The Mishna offers the following advice;
“Prepare yourself in this corridor so that you will be worthy of living
in the world to come”. (Ethics of our Fathers)
According to
Jewish thought, life in …
Pekudei: Was Iraq Freed?
This essay was written in 2005, when the US led effort to bring democracy to Iraq was still in its infancy.
Democracy in Iraq
The international media has subjected the US-led coalition that liberated Iraq and established a democratic government, to intense scrutiny and even criticism.
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Pinchas : Same Sex Marriage Part One
This essay is not related to the Parsha of the week but is posted here
because the subject has recently become a household topic of discussion
[Part one of three]
The Debate
Same Sex Marriage is a front-page news item debated in North American
media, legislatures and courts. The topic has recently piqued again
because of …
Parsha Insights »
Life Journeys
We are all on a journey, the journey of life. Although our journeys are similar in many ways, each journey is unique. Have you ever wondered what makes my journey different from yours? What seminal event occurred in our nascent years that made me embark on a different path from …
Yearly Cycle »
B’midbar Forward Vision
Hair-Raising Drive
A friend of mine and his father were driving in the dead of night on a treacherous mountain road with razor-sharp curves and sheer cliff drops. His father seemed oblivious to the danger and drove along nonchalantly. When he inquired as to his father’s nonchalance, his father replied, “my …
Concepts »
Vayikra: The Daily Offering
A Little is Enough
If you were a little fly on the wall of the Tabernacle or Temple you would notice a curious aspect of the sacrificial rite, namely the daily offerings. Each morning, at dawn’s earliest light, a sheep offering was made. Every day the same kind of sheep with …
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 …
