My Lawn’s Upsheren

Now that the weather has warmed up a little I feel obligated to mow the lawn so that my grandchildren can play there without stumbling over abandoned vehicles.  In an activity similar to mowing the lawn, I also plan on trimming my Sefirah beard and both of these events that made me think about the fact that one of my grandchildren turned three around this time last year and had ...

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Water/Waters

On Friday this week we will celebrate Pesach Sheni, the second chance for those who were not able to celebrate the Passover offering in its correct time.  This event has me reconsidering and thinking about Passover once again, even though the festival is over.  Let us focus on the crossing of the Red Sea and its significance.  Water is an interesting substance. It is named in Hebrew using a plural ...

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The Land Of Israel

The first commandment God gave to the first Jew was to go to the Land of Israel God spoke to Abraham, and said, "Go for yourself, from your land, from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you."[1]   Abraham, Sarah, their family and their retinue all came to Israel, then known as Canaan.  They traveled around the land, engaged in commerce and, of ...

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Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – Appreciating a Cup of Coffee – Parshat Emor 5777

Before drinking a coffee in the morning, we say the blessing "shehakol". Rabbi Mordchai Becher examines all the different processes that were necessary to create his Sunday cup of coffee, from the ship that brings over the coffee beans, to the German factory that makes the coffee machine, to the dairy farm in New Jersey that provided the milk, and comes to the conclusion that perhaps we should have appreciation ...

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