Rabbi Becher brings a thought from Menachem Mendl of Vorka regarding how much thought one should put into "making a living" versus the more intense thought required for actually "living". View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read MoreWhen Jacob left Israel he brought with him saplings that he planted in Egypt, which encouraged the Jews throughout their enslavement and eventual freedom. In our times, we have brought our own "trees of hope" which we plant in the modern State of Israel. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read More
This week we mark the beginning of Adar Rishon, or Adar 1, the additional month of a Jewish leap year. Measuring and marking the passage of time is a universal human preoccupation. At least forty different calendars are in use around the world today. The most widely used systems are the solar calendar, based on the cycle of the sun, and the lunar calendar, based on the cycle of the ...
Read More
Abraham’s relationship with God was rooted in a covenant, an agreement between two parties, each having obligations toward the other. Abraham and his descendants were obligated to practice circumcision, kindness and justice and to have faith in God. God in turn promised that Abraham’s descendants would maintain a special relationship with Him. They would be given the Land of Israel and would be a “blessing to all nations of the ...
Read MoreG-d recreates the world every moment, and we are supposed to emulate Him and renew ourselves at every moment, and not just do things by rote.. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read More
Now that we are in the month of Shevat I would like to continue my theme of the laws of the land of Israel. The seventh year of the agricultural cycle, is known as Shmittah, the Sabbatical year. In Israel, no new crops are planted and only maintenance work is done on crops and trees that already exist. Farmers may not sell their produce or prevent people (or animals) from ...
Read MoreRabbi Becher describes a recent archeological find which contained the word "Yerushalayim" (Jerusalem) spelled with an extra "Yud" - and what that means to us. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read More
In this week’s Torah portion, VaEra, and in the Passover prayers and Haggadah, we emphasize the miraculous nature of the Exodus from Egypt. Moses’ staff became a snake, ten terrifying plagues punished the Egyptians, the Red Sea split for the Jews but drowned Pharaoh’s army and on and on. It does not appear however, that all of these miracles were necessary to expedite the redemption. God could have ended our ...
Read MoreThe story of the Exile of the Jews in Egypt is a metaphor for the exile of the soul in this world. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read MoreRabbi Mordechai Becher explains that it is the failure (the darkness) that produces the greatest success (light). As the Gemora says, "because I fell, that is why I got up!" View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read More