Judaism calls upon us to make our lives an altar for serving G-d—not a platform for self-perfection. Our relationship with G-d is not about personal achievement or spiritual gratification. It is about humility, reverence, and service.
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Snakes and Sticks
Sticks are straight and unbending. They neither deceive nor mislead; they are what they appear to be. Snakes are serpentine; twisted and curved they slither silently and slyly conceal their approach. Dishonest people are colloquially described as snakelike whereas honest people are described as straight; as the expression …
A Final Accounting
The previous three Torah portions dealt with the specifications for building the Tabernacle and its holy vestments. In this portion a very important detail: is contributed – a calculation of the total sum of donations received for the cause.
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Enjoy Sukkot; you earned it. You probably think you know what I mean. After the heavy lifting of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the shofar, fasting, prayers, confessions, etc., we deserve a little relaxation and joy. But I am not talking about that. I am talking about something much deeper, …
Do our parents have access to our lives? Do we share our secrets with them? Do they have unfettered access to our grandchildren, for example, do we let them take our children away on vacation?
Sadly, there are many people who grow up and shut their parents out. Some do it …
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 …
