The Sabbath, a Day of Waste?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 4, 2023 | God, Psalms, Shabbat

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Psalm 29 (The Israel Bible, pp. 1503-1504) is special in a deep way. Even though it is only 11 verses, it contains the name of God 18 times. 18 is an auspicious number in Judaism. The gematria (numerical value) of 18 equals chai (חי), meaning...

The Secret to True Brotherhood

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2023 | Parenting, Shabbat, Vayechi

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Without a doubt, the sweetest part of the Sabbath is blessing my children. My children are older and no longer live at home. But when we do gather together at the end of a busy week, placing my hands on their bowed heads, invoking God’s...

The First Rule of Parenting

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 14, 2022 | Education, Parenting, Shabbat, Va'etchanan

I’ll admit it. I like sleeping in on Shabbat. So when my precious ten-year-old son began nudging my shoulder at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning, I was tempted to roll over and hide under the blankets. But I didn’t. Being a parent is not a nine-to-five job, it is 24/7 and...

What Does it Mean to Be Holy?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2022 | Holiness, Kedoshim, Purity, Shabbat

Leviticus Chapter 19 begins with a deceptively simple commandment:  You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy. Leviticus 19:2 There has been much speculation about this verse. At first glance, the imperative seems impossible as it requires the nation of...

The Yom Kippur Temple Service

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 25, 2022 | Acharei Mot, Holiness, Humility, Purity, Repentance, Shabbat, Temple, Yom Kippur

The Torah portion of Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16-18) describes the Temple service on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Bible mandates 15 specific sacrifices and many other rituals for Yom Kippur, or Yom HaKippurim, outlined in Leviticus chapter 16. The literal...

The “Great Sabbath”

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Bo, Nisan, Passover, Redemption, Shabbat

The Shabbat that precedes Pesach (Passover) is called ‘Shabbat HaGadol’ (the big/great Sabbath). There are several reasons for this. According to Jewish tradition, the first Shabbat HaGadol was the last Shabbat (Find out more about the laws of Shabbat) that the Jews...