by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 18, 2022 | Covenant, God, Ki Tavo, Responsibility
I bought my house a few years ago. I understand that buying a home is serious business but I was totally unprepared for the thick pile of pages I had to sign. When I finished signing one pile of documents, the bank officer produced another. “What’s this?” I asked....
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 16, 2022 | God, Gratitude, Happiness and Joy, Ki Tavo
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I’ve been having a rough week; my job has been making extra demands, the refrigerator is making strange noises, and each of my teens has come to me with a new and expensive gadget they cannot live without. The High Holidays begin in less than...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 14, 2022 | Community, Happiness and Joy, Ki Tavo
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I can’t stand when people tell me to cheer up. How dare they tell me to be happy. It is infuriating. If I want to sink into a deep and dark depression, I will do so. And I generally do, at every party and celebration. You can’t...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 13, 2022 | Ki Tavo, Kindness and Compassion, Prayer
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz There is a Hasidic story about a king who became angry and banished his son, the prince. After five years, the king regretted his actions and sent a messenger to return his son to the palace. “But I do not want him to be angry at me when he...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 12, 2022 | God, Happiness and Joy, Holiness, Israel, Ki Tavo, Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz One year, I was doing my reserve duty in the Negev on a small base. On Friday night, I was guarding the front gate. To pass the time, I began learning about Bikkurim, the first fruits which are brought as an offering in the Temple. The sages...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 24, 2022 | Ki Tavo
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin told the following story about Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the spiritual leader of the Sanz-Klausenberg sect of Hassidic Jews. Rabbi Halberstam’s wife, eleven children and most of his followers were murdered by the Nazis while he was...
