As summer approaches, I think back to one of our most memorable summer trips. Our family attended a Shabbaton where I was scholar in residence, at Kesher Israel congregation in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Rabbi, the synagogue and the community, were all wonderful, warm, fantastic and incredibly hospitable. On the way there we visited the Amish…
Moses asks his father-in-law Yisro to remain with the Jewish people. But the reason why seems unusual. View this video directly on VIMEO
This week’s parsha has a unique feature – a section set aside in parethesis. Rabbi Mordechai Becher explains its significance. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Well, since it is summer, I feel obligated to mow the lawn today so that the kids can actually play there without stumbling over abandoned vehicles. The grass was unbelievable; it was so high it was just ridiculous. So I mowed the lawn, quite successfully I think, and I started thinking about the fact that…
Milk and Honey It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot. Some explain this as one component in re-enacting Sinai. Having just received the laws about kosher food, the Jewish people had no choice but to limit themselves to easily prepared dairy or plant based foods, as opposed to meat that would require kosher…
Most people find it difficult to part with their money. View this video directly on VIMEO
The Omer is counted for the final time on the 49th night. The following evening, the festival of Shavuot begins at sundown. Shavuot is the anniversary of the Revelation on Mount Sinai, when God communicated the Torah to the entire Jewish people and in so doing, revealed to them their national mission and purpose. In…
Two significant events occurred on Lag B’Omer, and though separated by many years, they both contribute to its special status. On the thirty third day of the counting of the Omer, Rabbi Akivah’s students stopped dying. Because the epidemic lasted thirty three days, the common custom is to observe thirty three days of mourning in…
The Kohanim represent an “Ideal World of the future” – somewhat similar to how Epcot Center shows us a future world. View this video directly on Vimeo.
For the Jewish people who came out of Egypt, the period between the Exodus and the revelation at Mt. Sinai was one of continuous spiritual awakening. Their relationship with God grew stronger and closer miraculous events occurred daily. For the Jewish people in subsequent generations, this period is also one of the greatest of times…