by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2023 | Antisemitism, Chosen Nation, Tenth of Tevet, Kings, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz High school was difficult for me. Not only was I an awkward teen but there was also a group of guys who, unbeknownst to me, had decided amongst themselves that they would make my life miserable. They would take turns playing pranks on me. At...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 5, 2022 | Antisemitism, Psalms, Chosen Nation, Chanukah, God, Prayer, Tests and Trials
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Hanukkah is quickly approaching and I am reminded of a joke my father, of blessed memory, used to tell every year after lighting the candles. With the doughnuts and potato pancakes arranged on the table and waiting to be eaten, my dad would...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2022 | Chosen Nation, Lech Lecha, Faith, God, Israel, Miracles, Prayer
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz A wonderful aspect of reading the weekly Torah portion is the synchronicity that happens when the scripture matches up with current or historical events. This week, we read the section of the Torah containing God’s promise to bless those who...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 25, 2022 | Chosen Nation, Re’eih
According to Google, the meaning of the word treasure is “a valuable or valued item.” In the Torah portion of Re’eh, God uses this term of endearment to describe the Jewish people (Deuteronomy 14:2), a term that He first uses to describe them in Exodus: For you are a...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 16, 2022 | Chosen Nation, Eikev, Covenant, Israel
Who wouldn’t want free real estate? So when God first approached Abraham and said he was giving his descendants the land of Israel, of course, he said ‘yes!’ But why did God make the offer? Was it because the Jewish people were so amazing? Even with forefathers like...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 9, 2022 | Va'etchanan, Chosen Nation, Israel, Light Unto the Nations
God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or, alternatively, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. In fact, Jews are rare. Today, Jews represent a mere .2% of the world’s population. In the words of Mark Twain: If the...
