by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2023 | Bo, Nisan
By Chaim Barzel “God said to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.” (Exodus 12:1-2) This first month of the Hebrew calendar is now known as Nisan...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2023 | Va'eira
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz People are complicated but God has us figured out, as the prophet Jeremiah said: Most devious is the heart; It is perverse—who can fathom it? I Hashem probe the heart, Search the mind— To repay every man according to his ways, With the proper...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 15, 2023 | Va'eira, Proverbs
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz “Fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and understanding.” There are several sources for this piece of wisdom. King Solomon, the wisest of the wise, said it in Proverb (1:7). Solomon clearly learned this important maxim from...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 4, 2022 | Vayishlach
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz The Biblical account of Jacob’s first encounter with God is an amazing story. He dreams of a ladder connecting heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending the ladder. Understandably shaken, Jacob declares that the site where the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2022 | Vayeitzei
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I once went to a distant town and needed to stay at a hotel. I found one possible location and entered. I approached the front desk and asked the clerk, “How much does it cost to stay here for the night.” He smiled and answered, “Oh, we have...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 30, 2022 | Vayeitzei
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Israel just held its fifth election in three years. For a while now, Israel has been struggling to find a leader who can form and maintain a coalition made up of different parties, each with their own interests and priorities. These parties...