There is a dispute in the Mishnah regarding the order of the Chanukah lighting. According to the school of Shamai we start by lighting eight lights on the first night and decrease by one light each night until we are left with one light on the eighth night. According to the school of Hillel we […]
It’s no coincidence that we read the Torah portions that relate the story of Joseph, around the time of Chanukah. Joseph is described by the Torah as being handsome and good looking. The wife of Potiphar went to great lengths to try and seduce him. The midrash tells us that he might, in his youth, […]
According to the Kabbalah, there are two types of miracles. One kind of miracle comes from “above”, with no participation from “below”. An example of this are all the miracles surrounding the exodus from Egypt. The Jews sat passively while God reaked havoc on Egypt. The second kind of miracle is started “below” and is […]
At a shabbat dinner, a couple of Chanukahs ago, someone related that one of her coworkers asked her what occured on the ninth day of Chanukah. Everyone at the table chuckled. I initially did too, but then I realized that there was a deep and important lesson to learn here. When we gaze at the […]
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the Aseret Yi-May Teshuvah – Ten Days of Repentance, and the Shabbat that falls during those days is called Shabbat Shuva (Return). According to our tradition God is especially receptive to our prayers and pleas during these days. Rabbi Pinchas Teitz Z”L, a great Rabbi […]
One of the greatest gifts given to the Jewish People by God is the ability to repent – Teshuvah. Part of the Teshuvah process is crying out to God in supplication and repentance. How does one cry out to God? The traditional form of communication with God is through prayer. The Sages composed the traditional […]
The Jewish fast days serve two purposes: 1. To remind us of a tragic time in our history 2. To give us the opportunity to reflect and repent Today is the fast of Asarah BiTevet, which commemorates the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem during the First Temple period. Although that event may not […]
This period of time is dark, literally and figuratively. Daylight hours are short. The weather is cold. It’s easy to get sick. Lethargy sets in. There are no holidays. The financial crisis is raging. Israel is at war. What’s a Jew to do? There’s a surefire way to illuminate ourselves and the world around us, […]
One of the most powerful questions that arises from the story of the Exodus is how could God harden Pharaoh’s heart without stripping him of his free will to decide between good and evil? I’d like to convey two answers offered by one of the greatest Torah scholars of the early twentieth century, Rav Shlomo […]
An excerpt from Goodbye, Mom: A Memoir of Prayer, Jewish Mourning and Healing by Arnie Singer The rabbi of the shul I’ve been saying kaddish at recently handed me a card with someone’s hebrew name on it, and asked if I would have them in mind when I said kaddish on their upcoming Yahrzeit. I […]