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We are each Responsible for Our Actions! 16 Adar 5782 For today’s parashah, Ki Tisa, I would like to focus on the Egel Zahav, the Golden Calf. Chapters 32-34 deals with the sin of Israel at the very beginning of their relationship with the Creator. To put this into context, the Israelites had been brainwashed by […]
11 Adar 1 5782 This week in Parashat Tetzaveh we repeatedly find the idea of “kedusha” (“holiness”). Exodus 28: 2 – 4 addresses the “holy garments”; chapter 29:43 and 44, the consecrated service to God is spoken of as “holy”. In chap.28:36, the plaque on Aaron, the High Priest’s forehead would read “Kodesh L’Adonai” קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה(“Holy […]
Bereshit 1:31 says: “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was TOV MEOD -very good” “וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד. Vayar Elohim et-kol-asher asah vehineh-tov me’od” Recently I heard the words of song which were “I have nothing good in me“. That message is a continuous bombardment to our youth telling them: […]
With Freedom Comes Responsibility This week’s parashah Mishpatim begins with וְאֵלֶּה, הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, V’eleh ha mishpatim…“And these are the judgments that you shall set before them:” By beginning with “and”, it suggests that it’s connected with the previous portion Yitro, in which we read that God had personally inscribed the Ten Statements in stone and gave them to Moshe at […]
Time to get back to Basics….The Ten Commandments Yitro is probably the most important parashah in the Torah because it is where the Ten Words or Ten Commandments were given to Moshe by our Creator. They are the Constitution not only for Israel but for the world. Judaism and Christianity present these commandments very differently, […]
Complaining Has Consequences We are living in times in which “the human race” enjoys certain privileges that come with humanistic thinking. As with everything in life, there are pros and cons. The positive side is that we as humans can all enjoy the same values and rights such as access to food, health, housing, clothing, […]
Is the Ego Bad? The Exodus marked our birth as a people. We are required to remember the day we left Egypt, every day of our lives. When God revealed Himself to us at Mt. Sinai, He presented Himself not as the Creator of heaven and earth, but as “… your God, who brought you out […]
Blog Vaera 5782 from RANEBI’s message on 26 Tevet 5778 בלוג וָאֵרָא The Hebrew word Vaera translated as, “he appeared”, holds the understanding, “he revealed himself”. While wording in the Torah is very important, let’s remember to not take everything so literally but know that it was written in a simple way so that we can glean its […]
Don’t allow others to label you! Our Parashah for today is Shemot which means “names”. I’d like to focus on that word because names are so important. While we are gathering to celebrate Shabbat, millions of people around the world are celebrating Christmas. I wonder how many know that Jesus was a Jew, that his origins began […]
Do we live a balanced life? This portion Vayechi, “and he lived” alludes to an important part of the essence of being human on this physical plane: LIFE. Life is a cycle, and there is a saying in Spanish: “There is no evil that lasts 100 years” referring to the fact that life experiences are not […]
