Holocaust Remembrance Day Story As I listened to the siren go off this morning at 10am bringing the entire country of Israel to a minute of silence for Holocaust Remembrance Day, I thought about my family members who were incinerated by the Nazis… and those who miraculously escaped. Today is Read more…
At no time of the Jewish year is the synagogue as “wild” as during the Megillah (Book of Esther) reading: Every time Haman’s name is read, the congregation erupts in a deafening chorus of groggers (noisemakers), clanging pots, and sirens. Some write Haman’s name on the bottom of their shoes Read more…
There are 304,805 Hebrew letters in the Chumash – 5 Books of Moses. That’s about 90,000 words or the length of a medium-sized novel. It tells us the story of human civilization and Jewish history for its first 2,000 years in a very concise book. That’s a big undertaking. Yet Read more…
And you always thought Aaron’s staff turning into a serpent!!! Here’s a guest post by Rabbi Ari Kahn… In order to implement his plan to enslave the Jews, it was important for Pharaoh to dehumanize his victims. Thus, the Jews’ birthrate is described from the Egyptian perspective, in language that Read more…
This week’s Torah portion, VaYigash (Gen. 44:18-47-27) is one of the most dramatic in the entire Torah. After having been rejected and sold into slavery in Egypt by his own brothers, Joseph rose to be the viceroy. When famine struck Canaan and Egypt the brothers were forced to descend to Read more…
The Meaning of Snowing in Israel Snow is a rarity in Israel, and if it comes, it’s usually only the children in Jerusalem and Judean Hills and Tsfat (Safed) who get ready to make snowmen. But when it comes, it’s not just time to frolic, it’s also time to reflect Read more…
Anyone I have every spoken to who was in Israel at the time of the 1967 Six Day War told me that when it ended, the whole country was buzzing with the huge Miracle that had occurred. Even secular newspapers didn’t shy away from using the “M” word (miracle). The Read more…
Judah means “Thanksgiving” Our Matriarch Leah taught us about “Thanksgiving.” She also understood the essence of the mission of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Their destiny would depend on “acknowledging that everything comes from God. That means, there is no other power or source of blessing other than God. There Read more…
WHO ARE THE HEROES OF ISRAEL? The film about Golda Meir’s story while serving as Prime Minister during the Yom Kippur war was released, a number of people have asked me to comment on it. I haven’t seen it yet, but have read some reviews, so I don’t have a Read more…
What is the hidden message that the clouds of Elul whisper to us at the end of the summer? Summer in the Galilee is almost over. I know, because on my way to synagogue this morning the sky was overcast. All summer long the skies have been clear, sunny and Read more…
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