06 Dec PARASHAT VAYISHLACH- JEWISH PHOTOSYNTHESIS
We read in Parashat Vayishlah of the angel that attacked Yaakob Abinu as he made his way back to Eretz Yisrael from the home of Laban. The Rabbis teach us...
30 Nov PARASHAT VAIETZE: FULFILLING OUR MISSION
After the birth of Leah’s second son, Shimon, Leah declared, “Shama Hashem Ki Senu’a Anochi” – “Hashem heard that I was unloved” and thus blessed her with children. Leah was...
16 Nov PARASHAT CHAYEI SARA- THE VALUE OF EVERY MOMENT
The Midrash relates that once, as Rabbi Akiba taught a class, he noticed that his students began falling asleep. In order to awaken and energize them, Rabbi Akiba interrupted his...
09 Nov PARASHAT VAYERA- THE MINHA PRAYER
At the end of this week’s parasha, Parashat Vayera, G-d tells Abraham to take his son, Yishak, to Har HaMoria, where he places him on the altar, puts a knife...
01 Nov PARASHAT LEC LECHA: LEARNING ABOUT MARRIAGE FROM AVRAHAM AVINU
The Torah in Parashat Lech-Lecha writes about Abraham Abinu’s experiences after settling in Eretz Yisrael, and we read that when he reached the land, “Va’yet Aholo” – “he pitched his...
25 Oct PARASHAT NOAH: THE RAINBOW’S MESSAGE
After the flood, Hashem makes a promise to Noah and all his descendants that He would never again flood the earth. He showed Noach a rainbow in the sky that...
04 Oct PARASHAT HA’AZINU: CALLING TO G-D IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
The Haftara for Parashat H a ’ a z i n u (which is also read as the Haftara on the seventh day of Pesach) is the song written and sung by King David, which appears in the...
29 Sep YOM KIPPUR: STARTING WITH MIDOT
The Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, 1135-1204), in Hilchot Teshuba (7:3), alerts us to the fact that repentance is required not only for specific sins that we commit, but also for our negative character traits. He lists traits...
21 Sep ROSH HASHANA- OUR ANNUAL RESURRECTION
Rav Naftali Trop (1871-1928), one of the most illustrious disciples of the Hafetz Haim, once observed a common mistake that many people make as they go into Rosh Hashanah. Many...
06 Sep PARASHAT KI TESEH: THE MESSAGE OF YIBUM
Towards the end of Parashat Ki-Teseh, the Torah presents the Misva of Yibum, which applies when a married man dies without children. His brother is required to marry the widow, and the child born from this...