by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2023 | Faith, God, Good and Evil, Israel, Psalms, Tests and Trials
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz When I sit down at my Shabbat dinner table and I am blessed to have my four children around me, something strange happens. I look at them but I don’t see them. I look at my 20-year-old daughter and see one moment, caught in time, with her in...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 12, 2023 | God, Holiness, Psalms
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz In 1991, I moved to Israel and my journey back to God began. I was, what they call in Jewish circles, a baal teshuva (master of return). I moved to Sde Eliyahu, a religious kibbutz, and due to the hot climate of the Jordan Valley and the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 9, 2023 | God, Happiness and Joy, Hebrew Language, Psalms, Repentance, Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I often write about my personal experiences as a father. But I try to learn from everyone and remember the good lessons I learn from others. One such lesson I learned from a friend of mine who lives in Tel Aviv. From a very young age, her...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 5, 2023 | God, Israel, Kindness and Compassion, Psalms, Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz The construction of my house was an epic saga I am passionate about telling. I was the contractor for my house in Gush Etzion, and when the builder was short on workers I showed up to help pour the foundation. I loved my house. Israel is...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 4, 2023 | God, Psalms, Shabbat
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Psalm 29 (The Israel Bible, pp. 1503-1504) is special in a deep way. Even though it is only 11 verses, it contains the name of God 18 times. 18 is an auspicious number in Judaism. The gematria (numerical value) of 18 equals chai (חי), meaning...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2023 | Faith, God, Prayer, Psalms
By Rabbi Avraham Norin David does not give any indication as to when he composed Psalm 31. Nonetheless, it seems clear that he wrote it while running from an enemy. The commentators assume that it was written as David was fleeing from Saul, after being betrayed by the...
