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
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How many of you complain about forgetting things? We usually think about memory as a purely positive value and forgetfulness as a negative one. It turns out that in Jewish tradition these two values are a bit more nuanced. In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat “Ki Tisa”, we learn about Moses descending from Mt Sinai with the tablets of the
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“I see why you wear that shirt, you’re trying to hide your belly, but you can’t do that, it’s right there so you better do some diet”. I remember that I felt beyond embarrassed, totally naked. “It’s late in the evening; she’s wondering what clothes to wear She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair And
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Taking the Time: Parashat Yitro 5779/2019 This week while trying to get an idea for a Tu’bshvat inspired Shabbat dinner I bumped into an article that compared between the traditional Jewish dish Cholent made over 16 hours and Cholent made in the instant pot. The conclusion was clear, the instant one doesn’t work. http://foodaism.com/instant-pot-cholent-v-le-creuset-cholent/ Once we used to think about
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Parashat V’zot Habracha 5779-2018 V’zot Habracha…FOOTNOTE: Footnote This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced for the Israelites before his death.3 Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down,and from you they receive your instruction,4 the Torah Moshe commanded us as an
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I once heard the following story… It was one of those years when baseball’s World Series coincided with Yom Kippur. A man, a good Jew was having a serious spiritual crisis about the issue. So he went to his rabbi and said, “I know that Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year and that the Kol Nidrei prayer
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This week we read Parashat Shoftim. This Torah portion introduces us to one of the bases of our social system: Judges – Shoftim – and Shotrim – the law enforcement. Immediately afterward, Torah introduces a very famous verse that brings justice to a different level: Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof – Justice, justice you shall pursue. Our Rabbis say that there must
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See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. ורְאֵ֗ה אָֽנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה: Deu 11:26 Over the last couple of days it feels like a curse is threatening our society. We have been watching TV, reading newspapers, hearing stories from friends…. The images and the stories coming from Charlottesville in 2017 look like
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Ki Tisah/ Breaking the Dishes : A case study in organizational management So Moshe went up the mountain… and for the Israelites he basically left and it wasn’t so clear what he was doing. We know that Moshe was called by God to make the stone tablets. But in their experience they were abandoned. And they felt desperate. Who was
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Would you like to say something before we switch off the microphone? This is an important question to keep in mind in order to understand what the Torah has been talking about over the last parashot (portions) and specifically this week in Parashat Ki Tetze! And what is Torah’s answer? The largest list of commandments in the whole
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