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Parashah Vayetze continues the saga of Jacob escaping the wrath of his brother Esau and heading to Haran. In verse 11 of Genesis 28, the phrase בַּמָּק֜וֹם b’makom “in that place” is repeated 3 times, indicating that this place holds special significance. It does not mention which place, but in the words of Ibn Ezra, […]
November 30, 2024 Walking with Imperfection The Torah contains excerpts and stories that help us live better lives. These stories are about relationships, and the more we spend time with anyone, the more we learn about who they are; it is the same with the Creator. Abraham Avinu had a close relationship with the Almighty […]
What is living? The El Salvadorian government adopted the slogan “The good life” as part of its political campaign, But its idea of the good life was a farce because it turned out to be the good life for the politicians, not the people. However, we must learn to live the good life, which is […]
Show me the way to go home… Parashat Vayera exemplifies cycles and patterns drawn from the stories of its characters that can help prevent us from repeating the mistakes of our predecessors. Our beloved rabbi always likened the events in our lives to a spiral that can be viewed from an upward or downward perspective. He […]
From Message by Ranebi on 5780 Every Shabbat, just before we read the Ten Commandments, during the liturgical part of our service, we read the motto of our community: כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית-תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל-הָעַמִּים “ki beiti beit tefilla yikara l’chol ha’amim…for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Isaiah 56:7b. […]
You can’t dance at two weddings! I watched a short video this week where an Israeli woman was warning Norway, one of the many countries that are presently recognizing the Palestinian state and condemning Israel. She was holding two books in her hands; one was entitled The History of the Palestinians with Arabic words on […]
“Resting with the Truth” Parashat Noach seems like a story from a fairy tale. I remember as a child hearing one rendition of this story: One day God decided to send a flood; He would send a strong storm so He ordered Noah to build an ark to save the animals of the planet and […]
Why would God reveal the beginning of all things to Moses? Maya Angelou, poet and author said, “If you don’t know from where you’ve come, you won’t know where you’re going.” Most of us don’t know where we are going in this life because we are haunted by our past. We don’t know how to live fully […]
Can you deceive GOD or hide from Him? Sukkoth is the last of the seven of GOD’s Appointed Times, HaMoedim, the Biblical Festivals. So many aspects of this festival make it difficult to understand. It is a seven-day holiday plus one extra day; it is the counterpart of Pesach, as they face each other, one […]
“And This is The Blessing.” It’s a Jewish tradition to read the parashah verses for Yom Kippur but we decided in our community to read Parashat Vezot Habrachah. Again, according to tradition, it is usually read on Simchat Torah, an added holiday celebrated this year on October 25th. With Vezot Habrachah we close the books […]
