by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 21, 2023 | Ruth, Redemption
By Rabbi Elie Mischel Though the Book of Ruth is a personal story describing tragic and heroic individuals, it is a personal story with national implications. The extraordinary kindness that Ruth, Boaz and Naomi show to one another leads to the union of Ruth and Boaz...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 21, 2023 | Psalms, Prayer
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz There is an urban myth that Eskimos have 50 words for snow. I don’t know if that is true, but I do know that there are a lot of different words in Hebrew used to describe the same spiritual thing. For exmaple, there are seven names for God in...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 20, 2023 | Psalms, Tests and Trials
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I hate tests. I never understood the point of throwing a difficult problem at someone in order to see what they know or what they can do. As a teacher, I preferred to sit down with my student and discuss the material. In that manner, I...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2023 | Psalms, Free Will
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz My best friend, Jack, is a no-nonsense person who isn’t interested in engaging in philosophical or spiritual discussions that he perceives as pretentious or pompous. While I appreciate his straightforwardness, I am always thankful that,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2023 | Redemption, Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz My father, of blessed memory, was a huge fan of World War II movies. He loved movies that were historically accurate and saved his harshest criticism for movies that were not. Before the days of Netflix, we would scour the television...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 31, 2023 | Prayer
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I once stepped into a small synagogue in Jerusalem to sit down and say some psalms. I found an out-of-the-way corner hidden behind a shelf of books and began to recite silently. I was up to Psalm 41 when the door opened and a religious man...
