by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2023 | Faith, Vayechi
The Fear of Retribution Following the death of their father, Jacob, Joseph’s brothers are gripped by a foreboding fear. They anticipate that Joseph, now free from any obligation to his father, might seek retribution for the grave injustice they had done to him...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2023 | Faith, Vayechi
When Jacob neared the end of his life, he called his children together to impart his blessings and share with them his final thoughts. As he gathered them he spoke with prophetic intent, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 6, 2023 | Chanukah, Faith
During the period of the Second Temple, under the reign of Syrian-Greek leader Antiochus IV, the Jewish people faced a severe test of faith. Antiochus IV, with his zealous drive for Hellenization, imposed prohibitions on Jewish religious practices and desecrated the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 6, 2023 | Chanukah, Faith
Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday celebrating the Jewish victory over their Syrian-Greek oppressors during the Second Temple period and commemorating the miracle of oil that accompanied the rededication of the Temple following the victory. The miracle occurred when a...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 27, 2023 | Faith, Psalms
King Solomon instructs us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5). We find ourselves repeating that mantra in good times and, especially, in bad times. But what exactly does it mean to have trust in God? Are we supposed to believe that...
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...
