Category: Culture

  • The World Was Created for US

    פרשת בראשית / כ”ד בתשרי תשפ”ג

    One of the first commandments given to man was to name the animals. This is to underscore that the world is meant for man to make it holy through his use of it.

  • Every Jew Has Value

    פרשת וזאת הברכה / א’ דחול המואד סוכות / י”ז בתשרי תשפ”ג

    The lesson of Sukkot is that every person has value, no matter how high or low that person may be. We all equal in God’s eye.

  • The Universality of Tishri

    פרשת וזאת הברכה / י”ד בתשרי תשפ”ג

    It is fitting that Sukkot is in Tishri since it represents the universality of the Jewish people, unlike Pesach which represents our nationhood.

  • Economics & Morality

    פרשת האזינו / י”ב בתשרי תשפ”ג

    The Torah admonishes us to oppose foreign ideologies, meaning ideologies that negate morality based on the Torah.

  • We’re In A Partnership With God

    פרשת האזינו / י”א בתשרי תשפ”ג

    This week’s portion deals with the problem of success. Many of us achieve success and forget that God had a hand in it. This is a clear warning not to.

  • When Are Really Judged?

    פרשת האזנו / ט’ בתשרי תשפ”ג

    We usually think that our judgement is sealed on Yom Kippur. The truth is that the final judgement is on Simhat Torah. The reason is that on Yom Kippur we are on our best behavior but on Simhat Torah we are drinking and eating and carrying on. How do we behave then?

  • God Wants Actions, Not Words

    פרשת האזינו / ח’ בתשרי תשפ”ג

    The key to the Yom Kippur service is that we read the Book of Jonah at Minha on that day. Jonah is called upon to announce to the Assyrians that they have to repent. When recounting the story, the Book of Jonah does not talk about their prayers but about their actions.

  • Your Destiny is Up to You

    פרשת האזינו / ז’ בתשרי תשפ”ג

    There is no Hebrew word for tragedy. Thhis is because there is no concept of humans being fated to their destiny. We can change our destiny through our actions.

  • What Does God Want of Us

    פרשת וילך / ד’ בתשרי תשפ”ג

    This is the period of repentance. The main theme is that God wants us to behave well with our fellow man. The questions that we will be asked when we get to the next world will be how we treated our fellow. Not if we believe.

  • It’s All Up to You

    פרשת ניצבים / כ”ז באלול תשפ”ב

    A major message of the Torah is that we have free will. We can set our own agenda. If we want a good life, then we have to do the right thing.