Everyone's Leader
01/20/2017 11:18:41 AM
The world’s attention and fascination is currently focused on the inauguration of America’s new president.
The very next day after Mr. Trump will take the oath of office, Jews all over the world will gather in Synagogues and study the Torah portion of Shemot, which is a most timely reading...Read more...
In Search Of Joseph
01/13/2017 12:53:13 PM
Some say that Jews should be insular and provincial. Others argue that Jews should be worldly and cosmopolitan. Who is right?
In the Torah's record of G-d's very first instruction to the first Jew Abraham, He tells him "Lech lecha" - go out from your homeland. The Midrash explains, that Abraham was...Read more...
The Solution Is In Front Of Your Eyes
01/06/2017 12:15:46 PM
When things are going wrong in our lives, and when we feel like we are sinking further into the abyss each passing day, we are inclined to pray for a miracle, to ask from G-d that He completely change everything in order to produce more fortunate results.
But perhaps this approach is mistaken. G-d doesn’t...Read more...
Your Life In A Single Oil Flask
12/23/2016 10:04:05 AM
The great miracle of Chanukah. A single flask of oil, capable of fueling candlelight for only 1 day, miraculously lasted for 8 days.
Apparently, the very finding of the 1 pure flask was in itself quite a surprise. The...Read more...
YOU IN ME - In honor of Shalom Bayit Shabbat
12/16/2016 12:11:40 PM
This Shabbat has been dedicated by the Jewish Community Services (JCS) of Miami as Shalom Bayit Shabbat.
Shalom Bayit means different things to different people. Literally translated, it means A Peaceful Home. Loosely translated, it is a term that refers to the foundational Jewish values of marital harmony and a...Read more...
How To Prepare For My Son's Bar-Mitzvah?
11/18/2016 11:13:28 AM
Dear Rabbi,
My husband and I are feeling nervous. Our firstborn son turns thirteen in 18 months, and we have no idea how to prepare for his Bar-Mitzvah. We've never done this before, and we want to do what's right and best for him.
Please help us - where should we begin?
Signed – A First Timer
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Don't Let Your Weakness Define You!
11/10/2016 11:50:50 AM
Dear Rabbi,
I am scared. No matter the outcome of the elections, I am still very anxious for our country. We are a hugely divided nation; too many families suffer from financial instability; racism and bigotry seem to be more rampant; and the world is becoming a more dangerous place.
Things seem so messy, that I doubt any president is capable of cleaning things up. How can I find hope for my children's future?
Signed...Read more...
To Be Seriously Happy
11/03/2016 10:11:37 PM
Dear Rabbi,
For the High Holy Days this year I joined your congregation for the first time. I really enjoyed the services, yet something struck me as peculiar. In every congregation I have ever attended, Kol Nidrei evening was always a solemn and somber affair. The atmosphere was hushed, tense and reflective. But at BDHLS the services evoked jubilance and festivity. The...Read more...
Is This Their Reward?
07/04/2014 01:05:23 PM
This essay is dedicated to the lives of Naftali Frenkel HY"D, Gilad Shaer HY"D and Eyal Yifrah HY"D
I’d like to reflect on the following few Talmudic passages about several incidents...Read more...