Same Old, Same Old
Isaac and Rebecca prayed intensely for children, after many years of barrenness. Each would stand in a corner of the room pleading to their Father in Heaven for the blessing of children. "G-d accepted his prayer, and Rebecca his wife conceived (Gen. 25:21)" Why was...
The Value of Money
In this week's Torah reading, Avraham sends Eliezer back to his family in Haran, to find a wife for his son Yitzchak. Eliezer prayed, describing the person he was looking for very simply: when I ask her to bring down her pitcher for me to drink, she will respond that...
Kind and Calculated
When three desert travelers are invited into Abraham's tent to join him for a meal, Abraham and Sarah treat them to a lavish feast. Butter and milk were laid out and meat, freshly slaughtered, was offered for these complete strangers. The Talmud even says a separate...
Can You Take a Visitor?
There are times, sometimes just moments, when we feel inspired and close to the Al-mighty. Maybe we're in the presence of a special person, in the final moments of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, or we witnessed the birth of a new baby. Those spiritual...
The Existence of Evil
What is the lesson of the Great Flood? We read this week that the world became so corrupt and evil that the only way forward was to start over. G-d sent the flood because "the earth had corrupted itself before G-d, and the earth was filled with violence." [6:11] Why...
Loving Confession
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is devoted to Teshuva, the process of returning to G-d. A special and repeated part of the Yom Kippur liturgy is the recitation of the Viduy prayer, admitting to and delineating our faults. "Ashamnu, we were guilty, Bagadnu, we...
