Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – The 8th, 9th and 10th of Tears – 10th of Tevet 5776
Rabbi Becher discusses the various historical events on the 8th, 9th and 10th of Tevet, and why we only fast on the 10th. View this video directly on Vimeo.
The Siege of Jerusalem
This week is the fast of the 10th of Tevet. The Babylonian empire first laid siege to Jerusalem on the Tenth of Tevet, 423 BCE, cutting it off from the outside world. This not only laid the groundwork for the destruction of the Holy Temple but also caused horrific suffering for the besieged population of…
Modesty, Shmodesty! As Long As You Look Good!
My family recently took advantage of various Black Friday and other seasonal sales to buy new clothes. Not always easy, if you have any sense of modesty. So, I thought this would be a good time to discuss the issue of modesty, briefly. The prophet Micha tell us, He has told you, O man, what…
Chanukah
Setting the Scene Israel: Approximately 200 years before the events of Chanukah, hundreds of thousands of Jews returned from the Babylonian exile to the Land of Israel. In time, they rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem and established an independent Jewish monarchy. Greece: After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, the Greek-Macedonian Empire…
Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – Spinning My Dreidel – Chanukah 5776
We spin the dreidel from the TOP, and we spin the Gragger (noisemaker) on Purim from the BOTTOM. Rabbi Mordechai Becher looks at the significance of this and other ideas behind the simple Dreidel. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – It Hurts More when it is your Siblings – Vayeishev 5776
Gentiles have always hated the Jews, but when Jews hate the Jews, that is something that hurts Rabbi Becher even more. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Wash Your Hands!
As the weather gets colder one of the things that I have been thinking of is chapped skin. Yes, my hands get very rough and chapped. I use a hand cream on them, but, when I put on my tie I can actually feel the fabric catching on my skin! I cannot help thinking that…
Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – Hope in the Night – Vayishlach 5776
The prohibition from eating the sciatica nerve reminds us that even though there is anti-Semitism today, there is hope for better times in the future. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Fall and Winter
I am here in New Jersey, getting colder and being more windblown as fall is in full fling and winter approaches. Winter gets very bad press in general. You know, people talk about someone reaching the winter of his days, in other words, he is shriveling up and dying. Winter is the opposite of summer,…
Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – The Meaning of Prayer – Vayeitzei 5776
Rabbi Mordechai Becher asks “What does prayer mean?” View this video directly on Vimeo.