by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 14, 2022 | God, Good and Evil, Justice, Psalms, Tests and Trials
David’s journey to kingship was not easy. Obstacles stood in his way and evil men attacked him. But David had a perspective on this that leveraged these difficulties to help his devotion to God. This was expressed in Psalm 11: Hashem seeks out the righteous man but...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 13, 2022 | Good and Evil, Justice, Psalms
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz In Hebrew, a person who returns to the faith is referred to as a baal teshuvah, literally ‘a master of repentance’. The word teshuva, however, also means ‘answer’. A secular friend once teased me, “Now that you are baal teshuva, you have all...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 9, 2022 | Covenant, Faith, Fear of God, Freedom, God, Hebrew Language, Humility, Psalms, Responsibility
By Rabbi Avi Baumol These two verses form the bridge between the two halves of Psalm 8. In the first verse, King David asks “what is man that you have been mindful of him?” implying that Man is nothing at all. In the second verse, David continues...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 31, 2022 | God, Happiness and Joy, Israel, Psalms
By Rabbi Avi Baumol Despite all the dangerous threats surrounding the modern Jewish State, Israeli citizens consistently rate extremely high in global surveys measuring quality of life and happiness. This year, Israel ranked ninth in the 10th annual World Happiness...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 31, 2022 | God, Israel, Psalms, Temple
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz King David was a complicated person. Perhaps the most perplexing part of his life was his dual identities as a musician and as a warrior. David went from playing his harp to soothe King Saul, to having run from and fight his patron king. He...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 27, 2022 | God, Good and Evil, Psalms
By Rabbi Avi Baumol Though the Book of Psalms was written by King David, one of Israel’s greatest kings, his heartfelt words speak to everyone. John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America who served as its second president from 1797 to...
