Moving the Mountain

The Jewish people experienced a unique event at Mt. Sinai.  Hashem spoke to an entire people and elevated every member of the nation, at least momentarily, to the level of prophecy.  How could the Jewish people preserve, to the greatest possible degree, that connection to Hashem and the clear perception of His presence for all time?  Our Sages answer, that building the Mishkan, the portable Temple, in the desert was ...

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Is Independence Good?

We will be celebrating the State of Israel’s 72nd Independence Day very soon (April 29nd), an occasion for gratitude to G-d and also to the people who sacrificed so much to create a homeland and a Jewish state for the first time in over 2000 years. However, this upcoming event raised a question in my mind, “Is independence a Jewish value?”  It struck me that there are (at least) a ...

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