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The Birthing of Israel Let me share a modern-day mashal (parable) with you about the birth of a new nation. A surrogate mother has an embryo implanted within her which she will carry until the birth of the newborn baby. (As an aside, I dislike the word fetus because this is how people dehumanize the […]
Do You Hear GOD’s voice? But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage. Shemot 6:9 This week’s parashah, Vaera which means “And I appeared”, begins with a dialogue between the Eternal and Moshe, where God confirms who He is, and reveals a new […]
We have now finished reading Bereshit and are beginning the amazing story of the Exodus. Joseph had made his brothers swear that they would take his bones out of Egypt and bury him in Canaan like their father Jacob. Yet unlike Jacob, whose sons buried him in Machpelah just seventy days after his death, it […]
“Life’s Journey is more important than its Destination.” This parashah Vayechi ends the very special book of Bereshit in which we read about the creation of the world by our Bore Olam and our place within it. We travelled from Adam to Noah and the destruction of the world due to the perversity of mankind, […]
How do we grow to succeed? This question has been floating around in my head lately. At the end of the secular year 2024, many of my relatives and friends went to a church to hear messages about how to recap the secular year and face the new challenges in 2025. Although the Torah is […]
Say No to Assimilation Over the past 60 years, I have peeked into many religions and ideologies; I spent a little time in some while I delved more deeply into others…starting with – believe it or not – the modern-day religion of medicine, which states that “Doctors mustn’t be questioned or challenged”. This is true […]
Good Communication leads to Better Understanding Throughout the book of Bereshit, the story of our patriarchs is developed, beginning with Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob along with his twelve sons. Abraham, without knowing where he was going, followed the directions of the Creator toward the land of Canaan. Risking everything, he put his faith (emunah) […]
How long until we face our fears? The book of Job says: “For what I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has come upon me. I had no repose, no quiet, no rest; and trouble came.” (Job 3:25-26). In El Salvador, we say: “Too much analysis generates paralysis.” Over-analysis usually stems from an […]
Parashah Vayetze continues the saga of Jacob escaping the wrath of his brother Esau and heading to Haran. In verse 11 of Genesis 28, the phrase בַּמָּק֜וֹם b’makom “in that place” is repeated 3 times, indicating that this place holds special significance. It does not mention which place, but in the words of Ibn Ezra, […]
November 30, 2024 Walking with Imperfection The Torah contains excerpts and stories that help us live better lives. These stories are about relationships, and the more we spend time with anyone, the more we learn about who they are; it is the same with the Creator. Abraham Avinu had a close relationship with the Almighty […]
