Each of the Patriarchs represents a different character trait we strive to emulate. Avraham represents “Chesed” – “loving-kindness.” This manifests itself in performing selfless acts with a focus on helping others. This week’s Torah portion, VaYera (Genesis 18:1 – 23:20) continues with the saga of Avraham’s life and introduces us to the people of Sodom. […]
Confirmations and Elections! – The most important vote you cast every day…
A few years ago I was teaching a class on the weekly Torah Portion about Noah. A student interrupted the lecture and said, “I’m an anthropology major and I’ve studied ancient societies and cultures from all over the world. Virtually all of them have folktales of a deluge or flood story. This myth about Noah […]
Part II – Deal of the Century from a Torah Perspective
In Part I, we learned that the Torah treats the Land of Israel as a “Morasha” – a Heritage handed down from the previous generation. The Land must be possessed and preserved by the current generation to be handed down to the next generation for eternity. The idea to “give away parts of the Land […]
Part1 – Deal of the Century from a Torah Perspective
On January 28, 2020 President Trump announced the “Deal of the Century.” It is his plan to settle the conflict between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. (Read all 181 pages here) Unlike any previous peace plans in the history of the State of Israel, this one was almost universally lauded by the […]
An Ancient Prayer that Can Save Israel
At the end of this post is the ancient prayer authored by King Hezekiah that we should be shouting to the heavens These are frightening times for the People of Israel. The enemy has slaughtered eleven of God’s children in the the middle of Shabbat Prayers in a Synagogue. It’s a wake-up call for the […]
Knowing What Abraham Knew About the 10 Commandments
Contrary to popular opinion, the first of the Ten Commandments is NOT “to believe in God.” In the Mishna Torah, Maimonides teaches that the first commandment articulated as “I am the Lord your God…” is be understood as an obligation “to KNOW there is a first Being.” To confuse matters further, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) […]
‘This is Your Life’ and Holocaust Memorial Day
That’s Ralph Edwards on the left hosting a 1961 live episode of the most popular television show at the time, “This is Your Life.” What do these people have to do with Galilee Green? Holocaust memorial day in Israel is called Yom HaShoah veHaGevurah (Holocaust and Heroism Day) In addition to commemorating the death of […]
Should We Pray for our Team to Win?
Does God really care who wins the Super Bowl?
The Eight Levels of Charity
Moses Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon – known as RAMBAM ) was one
Jacob, Esau and Italian Olive Oil Fraud
Most people don’t realize that the twins, Esau and Jacob were born to become twin-leaders of the Nation of Israel.