Join us on March 7th, 2013 for our 15th Anniversary Benefit. Keynote speaker: Professor Alan Dershowitz. Guest of honor: Kevin Bermeister (City of Jerusalem Award); Honorary Chairmen: Sheldon Silver & Ido Aharoni. Young Leadership Award: Greg Gurevich. The event supports The Brownstone Experience – a new vibrant, cultural, educational, and social center for young Jews to gather, explore ideas, create community, and grow spiritually and intellectually. ...
Read MoreWhy should Pharaoh be punished for enslaving the Jews if his heart was hardened by G-d? Rabbi Mordechai Becher gives several possible explanations.
Read MoreParshat Bo Generally, we classify the commandments of the Torah into commandments that pertain to our relationship with G-d and commandments that pertain to our relationship with other people. There are some who had a third category, the commandments that govern the relationship between body and soul, in other relationship with the self. Generally, when we think about the commandment to remember the Exodus, we usually define it as being a a ...
Read MoreUnderstanding the different roles of Moshe and Aharon. Moshe elevated the people beyond where they could be on their own, and Aharon brings out their natural potential by uniting them.
Read MoreParshas Va'eira 5773 One of the famous questions that is asked regarding the Exodus from Egypt and the whole issue of the slavery of the Jews in Egypt is that, indeed G-d had actually told Abraham that his children would be slaves in a foreign land, he predicted the exile, He said the Jews would be enslaved. If so, the commentaries ask, then the Egyptians should not get punished, because they ...
Read MoreWhy was Moses called "Moshe"?
Read MoreParashat Shmot In the book of Exodus, Shmot, the development of the descendants of Jacob from a family into a nation is documented. I have been asked numerous times is Judaism a religion or a peoplehood? Most classic religions do not limit themselves to a particular nation. A religion is a system of belief and a system of action, a system of thought and of ethics without, generally, a nationalistic component. Judaism is, ...
Read MoreParashat Vayechi Here in New Jersey it is cold and windy outside, snow is predicted for this week. We have truly entered winter. Winter usually gets very bad press in secular literature and popular culture. 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 – summer is a time of action and fun, a time ...
Read MoreCriticisms and Prophecies can be "blessings" too.
Read MoreGateways has partnered with the new Jerusalem Gardens Hotel and Spa (formerly the Leonardo Inn). This alliance will enable us to run a myriad of unique educational and social programs and retreats that range from forums on contemporary issues, Jewish thought, relationships, and parenting to inspirational Shabbat and Jewish holiday programming. Click here to visit the Jerusalem Retreats page.
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