In a small village in Lithuania, a young boy named Berel received a bicycle as a gift. Berel loved his bike and drove it every day, including Shabbat. The Rabbi heard about this and announced that Berel should henceforth be referred to as Berel the goy—the non-Jew. Berel heard about …
Read the full story »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 …
Bo: The Key Is Unity
Unity
The old saying, ‘united we stand, divided we fall’, conveys a pithy truth; if we knock others down on our path to success, it catches up with us in the long run and eventually knocks us down. What goes around comes around and no one is immune. We can’t grow …
Vaera: Do You Volunteer?
Too Busy to Volunteer
Volunteering is a way of life for many people. We derive so much pleasure from sharing our time, energy and resources with those in need. The sight of a grateful smile, gladdens the heart and inspires the soul. It motivates us to volunteer even more.
But for many …
Beshalach: Miracle of Love
he Debate
They stood at the seashore overwhelmed by the miracle of love they had witnessed. All night long, they had crossed the sea and as the sun rose, they could not believe their eyes – the seashore was strewn with dead Egyptian bodies. Only then did the full magnitude of …
Shemot: The Beloved Teacher
My Beloved Teacher
I have had many teachers, but the ones that impacted me most, were the one who showed me kindness. You would think that if a teacher’s role is to teach, the most erudite scholar would have been the most memorable teacher. But that is not the case. The …
Vayechi: Our Mother
At The Grave Of A Mother
I was standing in Bethlehem at the grave of our nation’s mother, the Matriarch Rachel. I was praying for myself, my family and our nation. I poured my heart out on this quiet sunny morning, to a mother I had never met. Swept up in …
Vayigash: The True Meaning of Tolerance
Can We Tolerate Tolerance?
Have you ever been in the ironic position where someone accused of lacking tolerance and in the process turned intolerant toward you? Sadly, such occasions are commonplace nowadays. Just think of the riots that swept America post election, when people rampaged and pillaged in the name of …
Chanukah: Tomorrow Will Be Much Better
Increase or Reduce
There are two ways to light Chanukah candles. One is to start with the smallest amount of light and increase each day, the second is to start with the greatest amount of light and reduce the light each day. In fact, this was an argument between the schools …
Parsha Insights »
Sh’lach L’chah: Cooperate, Dont Compete
Win / Lose
We live in a competitive society where the Win / Lose mentality is deeply ingrained. Everything you win is lost by someone else. Every dollar you make is lost by someone else. If your stock shares go up someone else’s must have gone down. You cannot get ahead …
Yearly Cycle »
Beshalach: Overcoming Obstacles
Parting waters
Behind them was an army bristling for war. Before them was an ocean, deep and impassable. They could neither advance nor retreat. What could they do? Moses tried an age-old tactic. He cried out to G-d. But G-d rebuked him, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the children …
Concepts »
Bamidbar: G-d’s Love
Does He Need A Census?
The book of numbers opens with G-d directing Moses to take a national census,[1] which begs an obvious question. Does an All Knowing G-d require a census to know the precise number of Jews? This question is only amplified when you consider that this was the …
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 …
