by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 13, 2024 | Israel, Vayishlach
The night before the encounter with his brother Esau after so many years apart, an angel wrestled with Jacob. After Jacob showed his strength and resilience in overcoming the attack, the angel blessed Jacob and gave him a new name – Israel. This verse, spoken by the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 7, 2024 | Terumah
Mrs. Henny Machlis, renowned for her unparalleled acts of kindness, once conveyed a profound lesson to her daughter, illustrating the essence of true wealth. She posed a scenario: if you have $100 and you give $10 to someone in need, how much do you have left? The...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 6, 2024 | Bible Study, Faith, Psalms
This verse, like many others in the book of Psalms, is a seemingly repetitive poetic couplet. The first half of the verse and the second half of the verse appear to be saying the same thing in slightly different words. Zion is another name for Jerusalem. Exalt and...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 5, 2024 | Fear of God, Kindness and Compassion, Psalms
Psalm 147, leading up to this verse, describes how God controls nature and provides for all the needs of His creations. In that context, our verse states that although God looks after the material necessities of all things, His true desire is not merely to sustain a...
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 Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 5, 2024 | Isaiah, Psalms
What blessings does God need? Psalm 135:21 begins, “Blessed is the LORD from Zion.” The obvious question is, does God really need to be blessed by us? What are we actually doing when we bless God? I understand what it means to bless another person. It...
