by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 11, 2023 | Psalms
“Abba, did King David really want God to punish his enemies? Is that what we should do?” My ten-year-old boy has the rare gift of asking the obvious questions that are so important and so difficult to answer. This zinger came after reciting Psalm 70: Let those who...
by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 9, 2023 | Psalms, Temple
David set the stage for the building of the Temple by purchasing the mountaintop threshing floor that became the location of the Temple that was built by his son, Solomon. As explained in a previous article, the location was chosen because of the brotherly love...
by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 6, 2023 | Marriage and Relationships, Psalms
It is hard to count the number of times the following scenario occurred to me: I am waiting for a bus, just sitting and minding my business. An older woman sits beside me and asks where I am going. This is followed by other questions like where I am from, if I have...
by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 25, 2023 | Israel's Memorial Day, Psalms
Moving to Israel meant making some serious changes in my life. Some of my favorite snacks are not available in Israel and Root Beer has yet to catch on. But perhaps the greatest change was being drafted into the IDF. As a thirty-year-old immigrant, the IDF only wanted...
by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 24, 2023 | Light Unto the Nations, Psalms
Rabbi Haim Yosef David Azulai ben Yitzhak Zerachia (Jerusalem 18th Century), commonly known as the Hida, taught that the eight verses of Psalm 67 were inscribed on the golden Menorah (candelabra) that stood outside the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The first verse was...
