Gateways Chanukah Retreat

A Festival of Lights and Knowledge: Nov 29-Dec 1, 2013 Chanukah is a celebration of the miracle of Jewish spiritual survival.  After millennia of attempts to assimilate us, whether through force or persuasion, we are still here.   But, it is not mere physical survival that we celebrate.  After all, the genes of the Egyptians, Assyrians,…

Reward and Punishment

God rewards those who fulfill His commandments and punishes those who transgress them.  The ultimate reward is the World to Come, and the ultimate punishment is excision of the soul [the soul is cut off from any connection to the spiritual existence of the World to Come.]107  As the verse states, “Moses returned to God…

Summer at The Brownstone, NY: A review

Summer at The Brownstone was “sizzling” hot with activities.  Savvy young Jewish adults enjoyed the many networking events, relaxing Shabbat dinners, young professional schmoozes and classes, and, of course the exciting cultural events.  Boston University Alumni enjoyed a reunion of their campus Meor program, and hundreds of young professionals attended classes with David Lichtenstein, Chairman…

Simchat Torah

Originally, different customs existed regarding the reading of the Torah on Shabbat.  In Israel, the Torah was read in a three-year cycle, while in Babylon the custom was a yearly cycle.  Eventually, the Babylonian custom became universally accepted, and to this day Jews throughout the world publicly read the entire Five Books of Moses in…