Fear Tempered With Joy
In this week's reading, G-d Commands us to bring our first fruits to the Temple, and recite a passage found in the Passover Haggadah: "An Aramite [attempted to] destroy my father, and he went down to Egypt... And the Egyptians oppressed us... and we cried out to...
When the Going Gets Tough, Know That You are Tougher
Sometimes we feel like the challenges of life are insurmountable. When the going gets tough, even the tough want to give up. The Torah portion this week opens with a surprising dispensation for the soldier in the midst of war. "...you see among the prisoners a...
A Hero of Hurricane Irene, of Blessed Memory
For most of us in the path of Hurricane Irene, the storm turned out to be a significant inconvenience, rather than a disaster. Not having power at home for four days was annoying, but hardly a tragedy. The same cannot be said for one family from Monsey. Moshe Yosef...
It’s Alive!
One could read through the Torah and believe that it's merely a record of events, or a book of stories. While the text is certainly in story form, its teachings continue to have eternal relevance. The Torah's story is relevant not merely as history, but as a guidebook...
Talent on Loan from G-d
This week's learning has been dedicated in loving memory of Chayim ben Yosef a"h, Herbert Schnider, and in honor of his wife, ylctv"a (may she live and be well) Miriam bas Moshe, Muriel Schnider, by Stuart, Elizabeth and their girls. In this week's reading, the Torah...
A Universal Message
The Jewish people have no monopoly on G-d and spirituality. In fact, Judaism's core desire is that the world perceive G-d's presence in their lives, and grow spiritually. What's curious then is the wording of what is arguably Judaism's most famous expression: "Shema...
