Who is Truly Strong?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2023 | Judges, Community, Israel, Tests and Trials

By Rabbi Elie Mischel It was one of the very worst moments in modern Jewish history. On May 14, 1948, Israel was reborn. Five Arab nations immediately invaded the new state of Israel, which would have to fight for its life with a limited supply of guns and ammunition....

Why Do Enemies Unite Against Israel?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 27, 2022 | Psalms, Antisemitism, Community, Good and Evil

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz When I rode a motorcycle in New York, I used to hang out at bars that catered to a very rough crowd. It amazed me that biker gangs made no attempt to hide their identity and affiliations. They wore their ‘colors’ with pride on the back of...

What Benjamin Netanyahu Can Learn from Jacob About Forming a Government

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 30, 2022 | Community, Education, Vayeitzei, Happiness and Joy, Kindness and Compassion, Leadership, Responsibility

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...

Who Can Ascend the Temple Mount?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2022 | Psalms, Community, Israel, Kindness and Compassion, Temple

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz King David begins Psalm 15 with a question: A psalm of David. Hashem, who may sojourn in Your tent, who may dwell on Your holy mountain? Psalm 15:1 And in a few short verses, King David simplified matters, condensing the entire Bible into a...

A Lesson From a Willow

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2022 | Psalms, Community, Sukkot, Temple

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I grew up reading the Tolkein series, so when I first set foot in a Yeshiva (school for Torah study) and saw a room full of bearded men learning in a strange language from huge tomes, I was thrilled. I was in Gandalf’s academy. Though I never...

Turning an Enemy Into a Brother

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 5, 2022 | Community, Ki Teitzei, Kindness and Compassion

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Joseph and I did not get along and it caused my boss no end of grief. One day, the company hired a new Human Resources manager, a former hippie named Sarah. She smelled of patchouli and her beaded necklaces clashed with her requisite business...