Passover, Deprogramming, and Real Freedom Our family always looked forward to celebrating Passover. At our Passover Seder [ceremonial meal], we retold the story of the Exodus, ate matzah to recall the bread of affliction, ate bitter herbs [maror] to remind us of the bitterness of slavery, and we proclaimed, “Next
Jeremiah 31
Our Eternal Covenant Isn’t Obsolete Centuries of tragic Jew-hatred is documented in The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism by Malcolm Hay and Constantine’s Sword by James Carrol. These two books are replete with historical evidence and explore the dark and horrific role the Christian Church played in
Why I Confronted the Priest About Marriage When I was young and attended high school, “Coffee Houses” were popular, but they were not cafes like Starbucks, and they weren’t that much about coffee. Instead, they were a safe place where young people could hang out, talk, and enjoy music.
Jeremiah 31
Jeremiah's Eye-Opening Change of Heart A valuable lesson I learned growing up is that our actions have consequences. For example, if you treat someone kindly, they will most likely be kind to you. On the other hand, if you are mean toward someone, they will avoid you
Shavuot Mystery Nourishes Our Soul This week Jews worldwide will commence the celebration of the holiday of Shavuot and increase their prayers for peace in Israel. Shavuot is one of three major Jewish festivals. It commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai more than 3,300 years ago.
Abraham’s Legacy Refutes the “Virgin Birth” Growing old has its pros and cons. As we age, we mature and gain wisdom. However, on the flip side, we are confronted with our mortality and the legacy we will leave behind. In this week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:
Torah Insight in Painful and Horrific Times This week’s Insight was written while holding back tears. The pain is unbearable. The renowned biblical commentator Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040-1105) sheds an important and relevant insight into the passage that states that God made man “unique among us, knowing good
A BIBLICAL RESPONSE TO A WORLD IN CRISIS The Chassidic masters understand the saying “live with the times” as an instruction to take a lesson from the weekly Torah reading and apply it to our lives. This Shabbat, we read in the portion of Noah that “the world became corrupt
A Story of Miraculous Hostage Rescue When our patriarch Abraham [Avram] was forced to leave the land of Canaan due to a famine (Genesis 12: 10), he sought refuge in Egypt. Despite his efforts to protect his wife, Sarah [Sarai] was abducted by the Pharaoh who ruled at that time.
Choose Life Not Death In this week’s Torah portion, Vayera (Genesis 18:1–22:24), God commands Abraham to circumcise his son Isaac eight days after his birth. Thirty-seven years later, God tests Abraham by commanding him to offer his son on Mt. Moriah. Contrary to the prevalent
The Miraculous Possession of Israel Our Sages explain that the Torah begins with the creation story to empower the Jewish people with a response to those who challenge their right to the Land of Israel. The reply “God created the world, and He gives it to whomever he desires,” although
Peace Treaties and Genuine Peace After a dispute with Abimelech, king of the Philistines, Abraham and Abimelech swore an oath (Genesis 21:30:21) to live in peace. Later, in this week’s Torah portion, Toldos (Genesis 25:19–28:9), Isaac reaffirmed the oath with Abimelech (Genesis 26:28)
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