Rabbi's Message

As I write this on Thursday morning, it appears that the hostage exchange will at least begin before Monday evening, the commencement of...

11 Tishrei October 3, 2025 When you think of the Sukkah, you think of walls and sechach—a foliage roof. Yet, the name...

G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like...

Minutes of formal meetings always end with a list of actionable items. Committees love to talk and to hear themselves talk, but if the...

This week, we make a dramatic declaration in our Torah reading: “You have singled out G-d . . . and G-d has singled you out” (Deuteronomy...

When You Are on Your Own We humans are social creatures; we are not designed to live alone. We prefer companionship, connection, and...

A good friend recently lost his father. I meant to call him as soon as I heard, but he was sitting Shivah in Mexico. So, I told myself I...

Every year, on the last Shabbat before Elul—the final month of the year, we read a Torah portion that begins with the word reeh—see. The...

Rain doesn’t fall often in Israel. There is a rainy season that feeds the river, tributaries, and the lake, but rain isn’t always in...

10 Av August 4, 2025 The Torah portion we read this week discusses Moses pleading for...

Suffering is sadly familiar to Jews. We have a long and painful history of suffering. Our sages taught that the Torah was given on Mount...

This week we will read a combined Torah portion. The first is called Matot, the second is called Masei. Matot, at least in the context of...

I was walking with a friend, one Shabbat, and as we reached the crosswalk, he bent to push the button to stop the traffic. I reminded him...

When speaking of lighting the candles in the Temple, the Torah uses an unusual euphemism. Rather than saying lighting the candles, it...

In this week’s Torah portion, we read about the priestly blessing. G-d designates the kohanim (priests) to be blessers of the Jewish...

Every year, we read a Torah portion called Bamidbar—in the desert—on the Shabbat before Shavuot. This portion describes the census of the...

On Friday, May 16, Jews around the world will celebrate Lag Ba’omer. Lag Ba’omer is a joyous day. In Israel, thousands flock to Miron,...

In this week’s Torah portion, we learn about the high priest entering the Holy of Holies on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, to...

The weeks leading up to Passover were incredibly hectic for me, and I didn’t have time to follow the news. Several weeks in, I realized...

Insects churn their legs with astonishing speed. Their unique respiratory system delivers oxygen to their limbs efficiently, allowing...