Are we truly equal? We all know someone smarter, wiser, more capable, industrious, resourceful, or creative, than us. We also know people less wise, capable, industrious, resourceful, or creative than us. So, are we truly equal?
The answer is yes, but not because we are all equally capable. Our skill sets …
Let Us Stop School Massacres
It is a terrible tragedy, a heinous scene, words cannot describe it and the camera dare not capture it. The grimace plastered on grim faces of devastated fathers, the haunted look in the eyes of howling mothers, children screaming, teachers herding, police officers protecting and the most horrific of all, …
Vayigash: Master of Self
The Offender
Suppose you were cut off at the supermarket checkout counter, would you make a scene and or take it in stride? If you would take it in stride, let me ask you this. Suppose someone cut to the front of your line and you remained silent, but the person …
Miketz: Emotional Starvation
The Dream of Panic
Pharaoh dreamed that seven thin, unhealthy cows swallowed seven robust cows, but even after consuming the larger cows whole, the thin cows showed no signs of weight gain. Joseph interpreted the dream as a vision for the future. There would be seven years of plenty, followed by …
Vayeshev: Our Children
Give Me A Break!
After years of wandering, labor and suffering, Jacob returned to his father’s home. All he desired was some peace and quiet to pursue his spiritual goals without distraction. But G-d had a different plan. No sooner had Jacob caught his breath, when tension began to brew between …
Vaysihlach: Civilian Casualties
The Ethical Dilemma
Attacked by a barrage of rockets from Gaza that killed several, injured many and terrorized millions, Israel responded with airstrikes against military targets in Gaza. Radar guided missiles attacked terror cells, rockets launchers, bomb factories and Hamas government installations.[1]
Tweet
Vayetze: We Are One
A Single Vote
I wanted to vote in the recent US elections, I really did. But once again life got in the way. I can’t tell you how many times I berated myself for not partaking in this great democratic privilege. Men and women died for to preserve it and all …
Toldot: Stop the Bullying
Tolerating is Enabling
Do you know anyone who does nothing, but expects the world of everyone else? You know, the manipulative kind who never did a stitch of housework but raises a stink if the house is untidy or who won’t be caught dead in the kitchen, but beware if his …
Chayei Sarah: Good Parenting
‘Like’ Me
Do you like friends or love them? I don’t mean Facebook liking, I mean real life liking. Well actually, Facebook has it right. You like your friends; you don’t love your friend unless it’s a very special friend. You love your parents, the question is, do you also like …
Parsha Insights »
B’haalotcha: Live every Moment
An Invitation
Just before the Jews departed Sinai, Moses invited his father in Law to join them. Jethro wasn’t a Jew from birth; he was a priest, who had converted first to monotheism and later Judaism. Moses was somewhat hesitant about his invitation as apparent from the following text.
Tweet
Yearly Cycle »
Chanukah: A Basic Overview
The Chanukah Story
In the year 3616 (around 140 BCE) Syrian Greek King Antiochus Epipanes engaged the Jewish nation in war. He marched into the holy city of Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple. For six long years Antiochus’ army raped, pillaged and decimated the Jewish nation both spiritually and physically.A small …
Concepts »
Masei: The Journey of Life
It’s What We Bring Home That Counts
Life is a journey with stations along the way, some more comfortable than others. It is when we settle in to the comfort of those stations that we often forget we are in mid journey.
Tweet
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 …
