by Mordechai Dixler | Oct 3, 2019 | Lifeline
We are now in the middle of the Ten Days of Repentance, culminating with the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, which just passed, was the Day of Judgment for the new year. Many have asked a simple, yet compelling question: why shouldn’t we first have...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Sep 26, 2019 | Lifeline
Our reading this week contains an extraordinary passage, one which is very relevant for the upcoming High Holy Days. Moshe gathers the Nation of Israel together, and describes to them a truly unforgivable sin. It is so terrible that “Hashem will not be willing...
by Mordechai Dixler | Sep 20, 2019 | Lifeline
The first Mitzvah found in this week’s Torah portion is the obligation to bring the first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. At the end of this passage, Moshe (Moses) says “Today, G-d, your Master, has commanded you to carry out these statutes and the...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Sep 12, 2019 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, tells us to what extent the Torah demands an elevated standard of conduct. He warns us that even if we follow the letter of the law, but try to push the envelope — doing what we can get away with rather...
by Mordechai Dixler | Sep 5, 2019 | Lifeline
The laws of Kosher slaughter are complex and demanding, and typically only someone with the necessary training and piety can become a Shochet, trusted to provide Kosher meat for a community. During the days of the saintly Rabbi Yozel Horowitz zt”l (also known as...
by Mordechai Dixler | Aug 22, 2019 | Lifeline
Food is the fuel that energizes both man and beast – the great equalizer. If both Fido and I have to eat to stay alive, and we both seem to enjoy eating, is there a fundamental difference between my food consumption and his? The answer, of course, is yes. We...
