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Show me the way to go home… Parashat Vayera exemplifies cycles and patterns drawn from the stories of its characters that can help prevent us from repeating the mistakes of our predecessors. Our beloved rabbi always likened the events in our lives to a spiral that can be viewed from an upward or downward perspective. He […]
From Message by Ranebi on 5780 Every Shabbat, just before we read the Ten Commandments, during the liturgical part of our service, we read the motto of our community: כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית-תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל-הָעַמִּים “ki beiti beit tefilla yikara l’chol ha’amim…for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Isaiah 56:7b. […]
You can’t dance at two weddings! I watched a short video this week where an Israeli woman was warning Norway, one of the many countries who are presently recognizing the Palestinian state and condemning Israel. She was holding two books in her hands; one was entitled the History of the Palestinians with Arabic words on […]
“Resting with the Truth” Parashat Noach seems like a story from a fairy tale. I remember as a child hearing one rendition of this story: One day God decided to send a flood; He would send a strong storm so He ordered Noah to build an ark to save the animals of the planet and […]
Why would God reveal the beginning of all things to Moses? Maya Angelou, poet and author said, “If you don’t know from where you’ve come, you won’t know where you’re going.” Most of us don’t know where we are going in this life because we are haunted by our past. We don’t know how to live fully […]
Can you deceive GOD or hide from Him? Sukkoth is the last of the seven of GOD’s Appointed Times, HaMoedim, the Biblical Festivals. So many aspects of this festival make it difficult to understand. It is a seven-day holiday plus one extra day; it is the counterpart of Pesach, as they face each other, one […]
“And This is The Blessing.” It’s a Jewish tradition to read the parashah verses for Yom Kippur but we decided in our community to read Parashat Vezot Habrachah. Again, according to tradition, it is usually read on Simchat Torah, an added holiday celebrated this year on October 25th. With Vezot Habrachah we close the books […]
In Parashat Haazinu, it says in Devarim 32:44: “Moses came, together with Joshua, son of Nun and recited all the words of this poem in the hearing of the people.” Nothing touches the soul more than a good song or poem. There are no better words to express what GOD told Moses so I’d like […]
( Excerpt of Ranebi’s message in 5777) Although this holiday is called Rosh Hashanah by our sages, it is called Yom Teruah in the Torah. In Leviticus 23, we read where God orders the Israelites to proclaim His Moedim or Appointed Times. The Shabbat, the first of the Moedim covers all the holidays and then […]
Nitzavim Vayelech 5784 from 5777 The Shofar Shall Sound Soon! This is a double parashah, approaching the end of the Book of Deuteronomy and close to the entrance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We can sense a heaviness in the air during this month of Elul before the Fall Festivals. Our sages have made […]
