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כִּ֣י בֵיתִ֔י בֵּית־תְּפִלָּ֥ה יִקָּרֵ֖א לְכׇל הָעַמִּֽים ישעיהו נ״ו:ז
"For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples."

Rabbi's Message
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Find Your Light
The Shabbat before Passover is called Shabbat Hagadol, the great Shabbat. There are several reasons for this moniker, primarily that a...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Apr 105 min read


When Religion Becomes Self Worship
This week’s Torah portion is all about sacrifices. The Hebrew word for sacrifice is korban, which means closeness. There are two ways to...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Apr 35 min read


Things We Leave Unsaid
The Torah portion we read this week is Pekudei, which means accounting. In it, Moses accounts for every donation collected for the...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Mar 275 min read


Purim: When G-d Wakes Up
The Megillah tells the story of King Ahasuerus, who could not sleep in the middle of the night. He asked his servants to read the palace...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Mar 205 min read


You Are Good
This week, we read about the vestments worn by the priests and high priests. An elegant tunic, topped by a flowing robe with golden...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Mar 65 min read


You Are Gold
G-d instructed Moses to convene a team of superior artisans to lead a team to build the Tabernacle. Though the leaders were superior...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Feb 275 min read


Never Tell a Lie
17 Shevat February 15, 2025 Our sages were fence builders—not in the conventional sense, but metaphorically. The Torah...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Feb 205 min read


This Is My G-d
In this Torah portion, the Jews made one of history’s most dramatic and romantic statements. When G-d split the Red Sea, they were...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Feb 35 min read


As the Hostages Come Home
As the hostages return home, they revel in their freedom, but at some point, they will ask themselves why they were liberated. What is...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Jan 305 min read


Why They Hate Us
In a small village in Lithuania, a young boy named Berel received a bicycle as a gift. Berel loved his bike and drove it every day,...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Jan 235 min read


Constructive Speech Prevents Harmful Speech
Jacob summoned his son Joseph to his deathbed to share last-minute blessings and instructions. The last agenda item was to grant Joseph’s...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Jan 65 min read


Pointers on Hospitality
Let me begin by pointing out how profound this Mitzvah is. Abraham was visited by G-d Himself when the angels showed up. Abraham did not...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Nov 14, 20245 min read


The Power of Confession
Jokes about confession abound, but confession is no laughing matter. Judaism takes confession seriously, especially on Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Oct 14, 20244 min read


It Is Time for Your Spiritual ECG
After several bouts of dizziness and lightheadedness, I was booked for an ECG and given a Holter Monitor to wear for 72 hours. This was...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Sep 29, 20245 min read


Giving Is The Secret To Happiness
Giving is the secret to happiness. People who think they can be happy from taking or even receiving quickly learn how wrong they are. Do...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Apr 7, 20245 min read


Can Israel Survive Alone?
In 1972, Yitzchak Rabin served as Israeli Ambassador to the United States. He had an audience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who asked him...

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow
Mar 30, 20246 min read
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