by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 29, 2023 | Israel, Judges, Leadership, Responsibility
By Rabbi Elie Mischel Othniel, the first judge of Israel described in the book of Judges, was a courageous warrior and military leader. When Caleb, the aging leader of the tribe of Judah, sought a younger man to lead the men of Judah in battle, Othniel volunteered:...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 23, 2023 | Israel, Judges, Revelation and Prophecy
By Rabbi Elie Mischel What is the point of studying the Book of Judges? Yes, I know this sounds heretical. But it’s a fair question! We live in a modern world that appears, at first glance, to have very little in common with the stories of the Book of Judges. The...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 22, 2023 | Israel, Shevat, Tu B'shvat, Zechariah
By Chaim Barzel This verse from Zechariah is the very first verse in the Hebrew Bible that mentions the month of Shevat. But it’s only the second that mentions “the eleventh month.” Do you know where “the eleven month” is first mentioned? I’ll give you hint –...
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 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 Rabbi Pesach Wolicki | f 5, 2023 | Bible Study, Israel, Vayechi
“And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. When Israel’s days drew close to death, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put...
