by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 22, 2023 | Covenant, Vayeitzei
At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Vayeitzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3), we find Jacob on the run after leaving home in the wake of the events surrounding his acquisition of his father’s blessings. Jacob’s brother, Esau, vowed to kill Jacob after the death of...
by Rabbi Elie Mischel | f 22, 2023 | Bo, Zechariah
Before Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935) became the chief rabbi of pre-State Israel, he served as the rabbi of Boisk, Latvia. On the holiday of Purim, 1897, Rabbi Kook sat together with some of the young men who were students in his religious school and shared...
by Rabbi Elie Mischel | f 20, 2023 | Toldot
With over 300,000 reservists currently serving in the IDF, Israel is facing a severe manpower shortage. Making matters worse, many of the foreign workers who play a key role in the Israeli economy have returned to their home countries because of the war. To help fill...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 16, 2023 | Toldot
“Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came from the open and he was exhausted. Esau said to Jacob, ‘Feed me, please, from this red, red stuff for I am exhausted.’ He was therefore named Edom [red]. Jacob said, ‘First, sell your birthright to me.’ Esau said, ‘Behold, I am...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 14, 2023 | Chanukah, Faith, Good and Evil, Kislev, Noach
Today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. Kislev, the ninth month on the Jewish calendar, occurs during the late autumn to early winter, corresponding to the Gregorian months of November and December. It is the rainy season in Israel, a time when the...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 9, 2023 | Chayei Sara, Kindness and Compassion
After Abraham’s death, the Bible tells us that Issac and Ishmael reunited to bury their deceased father together: “Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the...
