by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2022 | Chosen Nation, Faith, God, Israel, Lech Lecha, Miracles, Prayer
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz A wonderful aspect of reading the weekly Torah portion is the synchronicity that happens when the scripture matches up with current or historical events. This week, we read the section of the Torah containing God’s promise to bless those who...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 6, 2022 | Emor, Faith, God, Happiness and Joy, Prayer, Sukkot
By Rafi Weinstein Today is the first day of the seven-day holiday known as Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Though the Torah commands: “You shall live in booths seven days” (Leviticus 23:42), growing up in New York my family barely spent time in the sukkah...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Faith, God, Jonah, Light Unto the Nations, Prayer, Repentance, Rosh Hashana, Sukkot, Temple, Tishrei, Yom Kippur, Zechariah
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz When I think about the High Holidays, I picture synagogues full of Jews, the men wrapped in snow-white prayer shawls swaying silently, the women praying fervently. They are Jewish holidays and the pinnacle of the Hebrew calendar. These are...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Elul, Faith, Holiness, Prayer, Psalms, Purity, Repentance, Rosh Hashana, Tests and Trials
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I had the remarkable merit of learning in Yeshiva (school for Torah study) with Barya Shachter, now a truly inspirational leader of a spiritual community. He is the son of Rabbi Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, the dynamic founder of the Jewish...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 22, 2022 | Fear of God, God, Happiness and Joy, Hebrew Language, Prayer, Psalms, Rosh Hashana
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz When I first started my journey toward “being religious”, I was concerned about the prayers on Rosh Hashana. During the rest of the year, we bow at the waist while reciting the Aleinu prayer. But on Rosh Hashana, we prostrate ourselves fully,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 13, 2022 | Ki Tavo, Kindness and Compassion, Prayer
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz There is a Hasidic story about a king who became angry and banished his son, the prince. After five years, the king regretted his actions and sent a messenger to return his son to the palace. “But I do not want him to be angry at me when he...
