by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 21, 2024 | Beshalach
Freshly liberated from the chains of Egyptian slavery, the Israelites embarked on their monumental journey towards the Promised Land filled with a spirit of hope and renewal. Yet it didn’t take long before their faith and fortitude were tested. First, they...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 21, 2024 | Va'etchanan
To any reader of Hebrew, there is one word in this verse that stands out as unusual. The final word of the verse, translated here as “your might”, is me’odecha. The echa at end of the word is a suffix meaning “your”. The word for “might” is me’od. Me’od is a common...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 18, 2024 | Bo
In our fast-paced modern world, where the deluge of information and the constant demand for productivity can often lead to a disconnect between thought and action, the ancient Jewish ritual of donning phylacteries, or tefillin, offers a profound insight into the...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 18, 2024 | God, Va'etchanan
This verse is the most fundamental statement of monotheistic faith in the entire Bible. Jewish practice is to recite it, and the five verses that immediately follow it, twice a day every day. According to Jewish tradition, it is customary to cover one’s eyes when...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 16, 2024 | Antisemitism, Bo, Light Unto the Nations
The Torah portion of Bo (Exodus 10:1–13:16) tells of the final three plagues visited upon the Egyptians before the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah notes that during the ninth plague of darkness, while the Egyptians could not see one another or move around, “all the...
by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 15, 2024 | Proverbs
King Solomon charges us to acknowledge God in all of our ways. The literal meaning of the Hebrew word, translated here as acknowledge, is “know.” Meaning, “In all your ways know Him.” This is the most striking word in this verse. The verse does...
