R Nico Socolovsky / Parashat Beshalach Who doesn’t love a good Would You Rather? But even the best ones often have a hidden sting. Sometimes, it’s not about choosing what you want—it’s about choosing what you can live with. Would you rather always feel like there’s a pebble in your shoe or have an itch you can never quite scratch?Would
Read more
The seder is the tool we use to assure that we are never going back to the land of narrowness. Passover invites us to look at our sometimes difficult realities through a lens of potential and prosperity. “Dayenu,” is not a song of conformism but a profound act of defiance. It is a reminder that even when surrounded by adversity, we must cling to the sparks of light we find. In the spirit of “Dayenu,” we celebrate what we have, because that is the premise for us to be able to walk the walk of redemption today.
Read more
We Will Rise and We Will Live It’s been thirty days — a shloshim that has deeply etched itself into our hearts, narrowing our world with an indescribable loss. As we recite ‘Yitgadal,’ we seek not just to remember the magnitude of those we’ve lost, but to rediscover the expansiveness of spirit that now feels so distant. With each day
Read more
Raise your hand if you would take a bribe? Now, let me rephrase my question… Do you have any biases? It’s a straightforward question, but the answer is trickier than it seems. The Pasuk says… There is a verse in parashat Shoftim that clearly states “You shall not take a bribe.” (Deut 16:19) Don’t let anything deviate your judgment. And here
Read more
“Have you Ever dreamed of ruling a kingdom? Be A King! Feel Like A King! The invitations to join this fantasy royal family are all over the place from Disney movies to mattresses advertising: Sleep Like A Queen! Our Sidra this week, Parashat Shoftim has a variation of this invitation to royalty! Deut 17:14 ידכִּֽי־תָבֹ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ נֹתֵ֣ן
Read more
By R Nico Soco I love you, I love you because you give me space. I love you because you have space not only for me but also for my siblings who came to you from the four corners of the earth. Because in your heart there is room not only for us but also for them and in that
Read more
In every generation, one must see oneself as if one had personally experienced the Exodus from Egypt. As it is written: “You shall speak to your children on that day, saying, this is how the Holy Blessed One redeemed me from Egypt. Isn’t it puzzling that despite the horrors and hardship of slavery, the children of Israel weren’t eager to
Read more
What could TikTok and Facebook users learn from a 600 year old man who built an ark? “These are the stories of Noah. Noah was a righteous and perfect man, for his generation” The Torah contextualizes a human being, who in the midst of a corruptive and chaotic reality is told by God to build an ark in order to
Read more
Learn what Jewish tradtion says thing and being mass spreaders of healing.
Read more
Jerusalem isn’t just the physical entity of a city. Jerusalem is a concept that evokes our spiritual aspiration for unity. In Tisha B’Av, as we commemorate the destruction of the Earthly Jerusalem, we also recognize the beginning of a spiritual exile. Through the text we connect with the tears of our ancestors, weeping by the waters of Babylon and yearning
Read more
Po Ve Sham 