Articles tagged with: God
Ekev: Why Fear G-d?
What is Fear?
Western society has rejected fear. We look back to the pedagogy of previous generations and believe it better to teach our children with love. We look back to the fear based leadership exercised by regimes and monarchies in the past and believe that our tolerant and open approach …
Vaetchanan: Therapeutic Healing
A Six Day Journey
We come away from the ninth of Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, with a spring to our step and a sense of hope. The six day stretch between the ninth and the fifteenth of Av are a transitional period, a time for healing. Our …
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 …
Emor: Shabbos Rest AND Exhilaration
A Curious Phrase
The lyrics to a popular Jewish children’s song proclaim, “If I would have the might I would run into the night and I would cry SHABBOS, SHABBOS, SHABBOS, SHABBOS.” Shabbos means to rest, but running around and screaming Shabbos doesn’t sound overly restful to me. What is the …
Tzav: From the Bottom Up
The Mirror
Before the priests entered the Temple they performed ablutions at the Laver.[1] We too perform ablutions before prayer though it is not at a special laver; it is at the regular sink. The idea behind washing our hands is to wash away the negative emotions that cloud our minds …
Vayakhel Pekudei: The Temple of our Home
To Live is To Remember
Everyone grieves differently. Some work hard to ignore the memories of a loved one because they are just too painful to revisit, others work hard to preserve the memories because without them they lose the gift of the past. Why should our loved one die twice, …
Bo: Mezuzah: G-d and Me
Home Security
House burglaries are a common form of theft and the installation of home security systems is a big business. There are many options. Some bar their windows, others install cameras and yet others alarms. Some bolt their doors and others reinforce their locks, but when all is said and …
Shmot: Jewish Names
The Door Handle
Why do rabbis often prefer to address their congregants by their Jewish names. Why is the Jewish name important? To understand, we must return to the beginning. What is a name?
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