Elul 5786
This past Friday we began the Hebrew month called Elul. For us, it is the beginning of the High Holidays season. Thirty days after the beginning of Elul, we celebrate Rosh Hashana, and ten days after that we observe Yom…
The Three Relationships: Trust in G-d (Emunah)
Introduction "וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ... וּלְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ... וְלִשְׁמֹר אֶת מִצְוֹת ה'... לְטוֹב לָךְ" "And now, Israel, what does the L-rd your G-d ask of you but to fear the L-rd your…
The Three Relationships: Love of G-d (Ahavah)
Introduction "וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ... וּלְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ... וְלִשְׁמֹר אֶת מִצְוֹת ה'... לְטוֹב לָךְ" "And now, Israel, what does the L-rd your G-d ask of you but to fear the L-rd your…
The Three Relationships: Fear of G-d (Yirah)
Introduction "וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ... וּלְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ... וְלִשְׁמֹר אֶת מִצְוֹת ה'... לְטוֹב לָךְ" "And now, Israel, what does the L-rd your G-d ask of you but to fear the L-rd your…
Crying & Tisha Ba’av
This coming Wednesday night and Thursday, we observe the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, Tisha Ba’av, the 9th day of the month of Av. Let’s go back to the origin of this day marked for Jewish tragedy and suffering:…
The Three Weeks and Tisha Ba’av 5786
Background We are in mourning. We are in the middle of the 3 weeks, a period of mourning that leads up to and includes the 9th of Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, the day that both the…
Filling the Miracle Tank Parshas Matos Masay 5768
Torah, Tefillah, and the Two Fronts of Jewish Survival There are few topics in the Jewish world today that create as much pain, tension, and misunderstanding as the question of army service and yeshiva learning in Eretz Yisrael, the Land…
Brit – Covenant: The Architecture of Jewish Existence
What Is a Brit? A Precise Definition The word brit is usually translated “covenant” — but that English word is nearly as opaque as the Hebrew. To understand what a brit is, we first need to clear away three things…
Parshas Chukas/Balak
Categorization of Mitzos In total, there are 613 mitzvot, or commandments, in the Torah. They encompass much of our daily living; from which animals can pull a plow together, to which foods we eat on varied days. We have different…
Parshas Shelach 5786
When a Mission Stops Being a Shlichus The primary narrative of our parsha is the story of the spies. Before we delve into it in depth, here is a quick synopsis of what transpired. Moshe sent twelve distinguished men, one…
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