Yom Kippur 5784
Yom Kippur תשפ"ד During the course of the year when we twice daily say the Shema, we recite the second verse,ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד (Baruch shem ..) Blessed forever is Hashem’s Honorable Name, silently. On Yom Kippur, though,…
Rosh Hashanah 5783
Rosh Hashanah תשפ"ג The Torah (Deuteronomy 29:1) calls Rosh Hashanah, “יום תרועה” a day of “teruah.” The exact meaning of the word “teruah” is a mystery. A bit of detective work was necessary to determine its meaning. The first step…
Elul 5783
Elul תשפ"ג Rosh Hashanah, which falls on the 1st day of the month of Tishrei (this year, Friday night, September 16th) marks the beginning of the new year 5784. This counts the years since the world’s creation, which happened on…
Parshat Ki Tetzei 5783
Ki Tetzei תשפ"ג The boy was trouble from day one. Even in the hospital, the nurses couldn’t figure out how to stop his incessant crying. As he got older, the crying stopped, but the mischief and mean tricks he played…
Parshas Shoftim
Parshat Shoftim תשפג If statistics are correct, Jews comprise .02% of the world’s population. There are over 2.5 billion Christians, almost 2 billion Muslims, billions more people in many other religions, including non-believers. The Torah instructs us to follow the…
Parshas Re’eh 5783
Re'eh תשפג When contemplating the motives and goals of the authors of the United States Constitution , we need look no further than the Constitution’s preamble : We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more…
Parshas Ekev 5783
Ekev תשפ"ג During a time in Jewish history when the gentiles did not permit the Jewish people to read the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat, the people would nevertheless continue to receive the important messages conveyed in the weekly…
Tisha B’Av 5783
Tisha B’av תשפ"ג This Thursday, July 27, the Jewish people will observe Tisha B’av - the 9th of Av, a fast day. On this date many years ago, both Holy Temples were destroyed. Throughout history, other cataclysmic events also…
Parshat Devrarim 5783
Devarim תשפ"ג This Shabbat we begin the fifth book of the Torah, דברים - Devarim. Otherwise known as משנה תורה - Mishne Torah - which means “a review of the Torah,” this book is unlike the other four. When Hashem…