by Eliyahu Berkowitz | f 29, 2023 | Faith, Psalms
When your world is crumbling around you, when all you see is darkness, and when every prayer you offer seems to echo into an endless void—where is God? This is a question many of us have asked, and it’s a question the Psalmists asked thousands of years ago too,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2023 | Faith, Psalms
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz The story is told of a righteous Jew who decides that he doesn’t want to be poor any longer. He goes out to a mountaintop and prays to God. “God, what is a thousand years to you?” he calls out. A booming voice answers, “A thousand years is...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2023 | Faith, God, Kindness and Compassion, Purim, Revelation and Prophecy
By Shira Schechter Imagine you’re reading a thrilling tale of a heroine who risks everything to save her people from annihilation. The story is full of suspense, political intrigue, and unexpected twists and turns. Yet, as you turn the pages, you notice...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2023 | Faith, God, Judges, Prayer, Redemption
By Rabbi Elie Mischel Dr. Antoine Deliege, the Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF Tunisia, writes that the most gut-wrenching sound he has ever heard is silence in an orphanage. “I have always been struck when I walked in the babies’ room by the silence that reigns...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 15, 2023 | Community, Faith, God, Good and Evil, Israel, Judges, Leadership
By Rabbi Elie Mischel One of the Catholic practices that angered many people and led to the Protestant Reformation was the doctrine and practice of indulgences. Essentially, the Catholic church said that sinners could buy forgiveness for their sins by paying money to...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 12, 2023 | Faith, God, Israel, Judges, Passover, Tests and Trials
By Rabbi Eliezer Mischel As a synagogue rabbi in New Jersey, I often thought of the classic insight that “no good deed goes unpunished.” While celebrating happy events like weddings and bar mitzvahs, I would praise a particular congregant or family in the community...
