PARASHAT BALAK “Hearing God’s Voice in Unexpected Places” When was the last time you received guidance that seemed to come out of nowhere—but felt deeply, undeniably right? Maybe it was a stranger’s comment in a checkout line, a child’s innocent… Read More »
Happy Fourth of July to all! As we celebrate our nation’s independence, we remember the ideals and virtues that gird our freedom, as well as the great risk it took and sacrifices that were made to ensure the American independence.… Read More »
The story of the spies sent to scout the Land of Israel is not only a pivotal moment in the wilderness narrative of the Israelites, but a mirror held up to the human soul. Twelve leaders were chosen, each a… Read More »
PARASHAT BEHA’ALOTEKHA “And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you shall be remembered before the Lord your G-d, and you shall be saved… Read More »
While the Kohanim were given the power to bless the Jewish People in this week’s parsha, today it is not only the priestly among us who can bestow the special triple blessing that we still call “The Priestly Blessing.” All… Read More »
The desert journey for the Jewish People was an opportunity of a lifetime. Every one of the souls on the path out of Egypt was faced with a question: after the miracle wrought for me by God taking me out… Read More »
We say that all Jewish souls were at Sinai together. Do you recall “being there?” What does it mean to us that we were part of the Sinai experience? The Midrash explains that each and every soul who received the… Read More »
The mitzvah of having a routine lighting of the menorah in the sacred Mishkah (Tabernacle) is mentioned after the holy days cycle is presented in chapter 23 of Leviticus. Why the juxtaposition? The mitzvah of having a routine lighting of… Read More »
“In Judaism we sanctify the physical. We use our bodies to serve God. The reason is simple: God created us, and our physical world.” This teaching from Rabbi Sacks parallels another more common saying that we can’t attribute to any… Read More »
Does the purity-impurity, tahara/tuma, construct have any relevance in our world today? In fact, some feel that they are looking to purify their bodies from radical and poisonous elements. The idea that we should move toward a diet of natural… Read More »