12 Tammuz Not all that Glitters is Gold As I read this week’s double portion Chukkat – Balak, as our Ranebi* advised us to do, I stepped back to see this mosaic from a different perspective and realized how the illusion of truth can distort our vision and create false “truths”. The Emmy-winning writer David […]
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Parashat Korach 5783
5 Tammuz Who do we follow, man or God? The story of Korach, the cousin of Moshe Rabeinu, shows us the conflicts that can arise in our families when we don’t communicate well or clarify our issues, but instead, we attack one another. Concerning Korach’s behaviour, our sages go from completely disagreeing with what he […]
Parashat Shelach Lecha 5783
28 Sivan Decisions, decisions, decisions…! Everything begins and ends with a decision. Every day we make thousands of them. Will they result in something good or something bad; will they lead to life or to death? God asks us to choose life! That means …we have the ability to choose! In Parashat Shelach, the Israelites […]
Parashat Beha’alotecha 5783
21 Sivan “You will light my candle; the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” Psalms 18:29 In this week’s portion, Beha’alotecha בהעלתך, the Eternal commands Moshe to tell his brother Aaron to light the candles so that the menorah would light up the Mishkan. This is how our portion begins. It would be a mistake […]
Parashat Behar Bechukotai 5783
22 Iyar Holiness is Giving “Do not give what is sacred to the dogs, lest they turn against you and tear you to pieces; do not throw your pearls to swine, lest they trample them underfoot.” (Mattityahu 7:6). “Then the Lord said to Cain: Where is your brother Abel? And he replied: I don’t know. […]
Parashat Achare Mot Kedoshim 5783
8 Iya Deciding to Live What is life? What is death? Consciousness? Unconsciousness? These questions remind me of the words of a song performed by Kansas, an alternative rock band when I was young; it says, “all we are is dust in the wind”. I believe this idea falls short because it refers to the […]
Parashat Tazria Metzora 5783
The Power of the Tongue 1 Iyar “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and hers; it shall bruise your head and you’ll bruise his heel”. Bereshit 3:15 Parashat Tazria Metzora develops a theme which, from the beginning of creation has been a […]
Parashat Shemini 5783
24 Nisan Parashat Shemini begins “and it came to pass on the eighth day” but what had happened during the prior seven days? For that we have to go back to the end of the last parashah, Tzav where Aaron and his four sons were told not to leave the Tent for seven days and […]
Shabbat Chol Ha Moed Pesach 5783
Excerpt Taken from Ranebi’s Message on Nisan 17, 5780 Pesach: A Festival of Thanksgiving From Exodus 34:6-7, where the LORD is speaking to Moshe, our sages have drawn a beautiful teaching called “The 13 Attributes of the Bore Olam”. Let’s examine them and put them into today’s context. ו וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל-פָּנָיו, וַיִּקְרָא, יְהוָה יְהוָה, אֵל […]
Parashat Tzav 5783
10 Nisan Shabbat HaGadol To Obey or not to Obey, that is the Question. Tzav means “command”. Our Creator was commanding His people Israel and here, specifically Moshe, his brother, Aaron the Cohen HaGadol, and his sons. This one word alludes to the fact that we have Free Will. God wouldn’t command us to […]