All things are mortal, but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality? ~ Mark Twain When G-d said to Abraham “Go to yourself–Lech Lecha” what was He actually asking Abraham to do? This command seems to be contradicted by the remainder …
In this weeks’ Torah portion we read:The whole earth was of one language and of common purpose. And it came to pass, when they migrated from the east they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another…….. “Come let us build a …
Adam and Eve were living a carefree life in the Garden of Eden. They had only one restriction. G-d commanded them not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad. However, forbidden fruits tend to seem more tasty to people. In addition, having a seductive snake around …
Torah teaches that the goal of life and the source of true happiness is holiness. We are holy when we are whole — integrated and harmonious with our inner self, with our nation, with the rest of humanity, with nature and with G-d. This is accomplished through fulfilling the Commandments …
Yom Kippur is all about love and forgiveness. It’s about how we are always inseparably one with G-d. On Yom Kippur we get a glimpse of ourselves, our choices and our relationship to G-d from another perspective — G-d’s perspective. This is the transformational power that makes it into a …
The Kabbalah teaches, “There is no king without a nation.” This point requires deep exploration especially on Rosh Hashanna when we acknowledge G-d as our King. It may make sense that, in the human world, a king is dependent on having subjects who acknowledge his sovereignty. The last Emperor of …
“And you shall be happy in all that the Lord your G-d has given you” (Deut. 26:11) Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. — Hellen Keller Money can’t buy you happiness, but …
“Teshuva (repentance), tefilah (prayer), and tzedakah (charity) annul (even the most) severe decree.”—-From the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur prayers The Talmud teaches: “Tzedaka saves from death.” When we need an incredible influx of life force — because we are facing impending physical death or impending spiritual death, the act …
When we read the Torah, some of its laws disturb our moral sensitivities. When this happens we must remind ourselves of the purpose of the Torah. Not all the laws of Torah represent its ideals. Some of them may even seem to contradict the very ideal that they are serving …
“Since the thoughts concerning G-d in their basic elements are unclear, G-d’s being as conceived by the multitudes — and even by the individuals who should be their leaders — is that of a ruthless power from whom there is no escape…”Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935)“Yisuriim Mamreikiim” Not so long …