Scared of being killed by the enemy and also scared of having to kill the enemy. Life is full of contradictions. Rabbi Becher helps sort it out for us. View this video directly on VIMEO
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Chanukah begins in a short time so here is a little historical introduction to the Chanukah festival, to which we will hopefully add some spiritual insights in the coming weeks. Approximately 200 years before the events of Chanukah, hundreds of thousands of Jews returned from the Babylonian exile to the Land of Israel. In time, they rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem and established an independent Jewish monarchy. Meanwhile in Greece, after ...
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As we enter the month of Kislev, and the weather turns colder, we start thinking about Chanukah, menorahs, latkes and donuts. Some of us, of the more nerdy variety, start to think of Philo Judeaus, the Septuagint, Alexandria and Greek tragedies. One aspect of the Greek opposition to Torah was their objection to the idea that any one people could be “chosen” or have a Divine revelation. Their campaign against ...
Read MoreYour spiritual level is determined by your destination, and not by your current location. View this video directly on VIMEO
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With the long winter nights now starting so early, I have started to think about day and night and their significance in Jewish thought. We know that in secular law, the calendar day starts and ends at midnight, however, in Jewish tradition the day starts the evening beforehand. So for example, Shabbat, starts Friday evening around sunset and it ends on Saturday night when the stars come out. So both ...
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Rabbi Becher's VLOG
Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – Jacob, Esau and The Dangers of Education – Toldot 5781
A child MUST be educated according to the needs of the child. Rabbi Becher explains the disaster that ensued when this rule wasn't followed for Esau... View this video directly on VIMEO
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The Jewish community and the entire world recently lost living Torahs, Rav Dovid Feinstein and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. This week’s Torah reading Chayei Sarah discusses the first ever Jewish burial and Avaraham’s care for his deceased wife, Sarah. I believe that it is appropriate to discuss the mitzvah of burial and respect for the deceased. The earliest mention of burial is found in Genesis, when G-d speaks to Adam: ...
Read MoreThe Jewish world - no, the ENTIRE world - has lost two great individuals this week: Rabbi Dovid Feinstein and Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sachs. Rabbi Becher speaks of the greatness of both men so that we can properly understand our loss. View this video directly on VIMEO
Read MoreRabbi Becher quotes source after source exhorting us to pray for the welfare of our government, for without a government, one man would swallow the other alive! View this video directly on VIMEO
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Sarah is described by the Torah as being beautiful. (Bereshis 12:11) What is beauty? According to the Getty Museum ancient sculptors used canons—sets of “perfect” mathematical ratios and proportions—to depict the human form. The earliest known canons were developed by the Egyptians, whose grid-based proportions influenced Greek sculptors in the archaic period (700–480 B.C.). Over time, sculptors and painters sought to create a canon that would allow them to depict ...
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