The Meaning of Sound
What does sound mean to you? Sound plays many roles. It is a vehicle for communication, music, and even distraction, but at its root sound is the simple indicator of life.
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Read the full story »The Apologizing President
The Olive Branch
President Obama has recently returned from his international tour of apology. He has reached out to America’s enemies with the rationale that one must offer an olive branch if there is to be hope for peace. Special Advisor to the President, David Axelrod, described these nations as people …
Kedoshim: Legislating Moral Conduct
Human Rights Commissions
I attended a seminar on Canadian Human Rights Commissions. On the whole the event amounted to a wholesale “Let’s Quash Human Rights Commissions” extravaganza. But I must concede that the tone of the event was rather peaceful. The presenters articulated their call for abolition in reasoned, albeit impassioned, …
Tazria: Touched By Kindness
Am Ordinary Event
The other day something happened that meant little when it occurred, but upon reflection came to mean a great deal. I was entering the post office with a mountain of envelopes balanced precariously in my arms. Taking in the perilous state of my load a girl of perhaps …
Shemini: Bridging Passover and the Weekday
Distinctions
In contra distinction to the rest of the week, Shabbat is a holy day. Though the weekdays lead up to Shabbat and are influenced by Shabbat, they can never become holy; they are forever destined to be mundane. With one exception: The Festivals.
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Passover: The Secret Path To A Moral Society
Just Because
When was the last time you did the right thing just because? In a Capitalist society we are taught to ask, “What’s in it for me” before making an investment. Even our charitable contributions come with strings attached. We insist that our dollars be used for causes that serve …
Tzav: Birchat Hachamah – When the Sun Sings Again
A Unique Event
On Wednesday morning, April 8, 2009, Jews around the world recited a blessing over the sun that was last recited in twenty-eight years ago. This blessing is recited when the sun returns to its point of origin, where it was when it was first created. Though the sun …
Vayikra: Humble Gratitude
The AIG Scandal
After accepting a one-hundred-and-sixty-billion dollar bailout from the United States Government, American Insurance Group distributed more than a hundred-million dollars in bonuses and retention fees to its employees; a move that infuriated the congress and the American Public.
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Vayakhel Pekudei: Unity in giving
Greed and Generosity
In Fiddler On The Roof, a film filled with memorable moments, the scene of Perchick’s proclamation, “Money is the world’s curse” and Tevye’s defiant reply, “May the Lord smite me with it,” stands out as prominent. Indeed, money is the source of humanity’s greatest friction. Most marital disputes …
Parsha Insights »
Vayakhel Pekudei: The Bottom Line
The Generous Economizer
When you see a miser spending money in generous amounts you can assume that something out of the ordinary is afoot. It might be a simcha, such as an upcoming wedding, perhaps a tragedy or an illness. Whatever it is, you would certainly assume an exception before assuming …
Yearly Cycle »
Chanukah: Spice Up Your Routine
Routine can be boring. You do it every day and you grow tired of it. We are always looking for something new and exciting. Something to pique our interest and engage our curiosity. Routine doesn’t do the trick. We need something novel, something unusual, something unexpected. The problem with new …
Concepts »
Mitzora: The Duel of Life
Body and Soul
Life, according to Torah, is a duel between two forces, the body’s gravitation towards self benefit and the soul’s attraction towards fulfillment and meaning. This body / soul dynamic is the crux of the human experience. It is the duel of life.
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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 …
