Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s Blog – Genesis – Bereishit 5776

Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s Blog – Genesis – Bereishit 5776

ByRabbi Becher

The Torah begins with the simple and elegant statement that “In the beginning G-d created heaven and earth.”  Maimonides understands this as one of our most basic beliefs, as he formulates in his famous thirteen principals of faith. God is eternal and infinite, and everything else is temporary and finite in comparison to Him.  The…

Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s BLog – The Four Species – Sukkot 5776

Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s BLog – The Four Species – Sukkot 5776

ByRabbi Becher

Origin of the Species Sukkot features one of the most unusual and picturesque mitzvot, known as the arba minim, the four species. The Torah tells us: You shall take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of a beautiful tree, the branches of date palms, branches of the thick tree, and brook willows; and…

Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s BLog – Fasting – Yom Kippur 5776

Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s BLog – Fasting – Yom Kippur 5776

ByRabbi Becher

One of the best-known features of Yom Kippur — sometimes the only thing people know about this day — is the fact that we are forbidden to eat and drink.  What is the meaning and purpose of these prohibitions on Yom Kippur? An anthropologist visiting a synagogue on Yom Kippur might think that since no…

The Approach of Rosh Hashanah – Justice and Kindness – Rosh Hashanah 5776

The Approach of Rosh Hashanah – Justice and Kindness – Rosh Hashanah 5776

ByRabbi Becher

There are two aromas that always remind of the onset of Rosh HaShanah – vinegar and honey-cake. My father, OBM, used to blow the shofar at our synagogue in Melbourne, Australia and before Rosh Hashanah he used to clean out his shofars with vinegar.  My mother, OBM, used to bake delicious honey cakes for our…