by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 5, 2024 | Covenant, Mishpatim
In the Torah portion of Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24-18), we encounter a profound moment in the journey of the Israelite people. Following the awe-inspiring revelation at Sinai, when the Ten Commandments were given, a list of detailed laws is presented. This sets the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 4, 2024 | Revelation and Prophecy, Shavuot (Pentecost), Yitro
Jean-Jacques Rousseau once observed the remarkable resilience and enduring nature of Jewish people. In an unpublished document discovered after his death, Rousseau wrote: The Jews provide us with an astonishing spectacle: the laws of Numa, Lycurgus, Solon are dead;...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2024 | Zechariah
The city of “truth” This is the only place in the Bible where Jerusalem is called the “city of truth.” The Hebrew word for “truth” is emet. This word does not only mean “truth” as in the opposite of falsehood. The word emet also means “faithfulness” or “reliability.”...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2024 | Free Will, Proverbs
One of the fundamental principles of Biblical faith is that God has granted free will to human beings. Without free will, all our actions are meaningless. There is no basis for reward or punishment. In the absence of free will, there is neither piety nor wickedness....
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 31, 2024 | Faith, Va'etchanan
This commandment in this verse mandates the writing of this paragraph, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, as well as Deuteronomy 11:13-21, on a parchment scroll which is then mounted on the doorpost of the home. These two passages are “these words” that the Bible mandates to be...
