Entries for July 2014

Matot: A Time for War

Matot: A Time for War
With the Jewish world focused upon “Operation Protective Edge” in Gaza, and much of Israel under constant threat of rocket attacks, our thoughts this week inevitably, painfully, turn to war.   We recoil (a verb with ironic double-... Continue Reading »
Jul 18
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Israel

Pinchas: The Most Important Verse in Torah

Pinchas: The Most Important Verse in Torah
Given on the occasion of the Inaugural Weekday Morning Minyan Service at: Temple Beth Tikvah, Fullerton, CA July 7, 2014; 9 Tammuz 5774 Which is the most important verse in Torah?  You might choose “Hear, O Israel, the Lord Our G-d,... Continue Reading »
Jul 11
Posted in: Focus on Prayers, Jewish Rituals, Podcast

Balak: Our Messianic Star Power

Balak: Our Messianic Star Power
In a small Russian Shtetl, the community council decides to pay a poor Jew a ruble a week to sit at the town’s entrance and be the first to greet the Messiah when he arrives.  The man’s brother comes to see him, and is puzzled why he... Continue Reading »
Jul 04
Posted in: Torah Commentary, Israel

A bird that you set free may be caught again, but a word that escapes your lips will not return.
Jewish Proverb