by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 21, 2022 | Temple, Yitro
After giving the Torah to the Children of Israel, God emphasizes that they are not to serve idols. He then commands them to serve him on an altar. The altar was used to burn communal sacrifices that were brought daily and on holidays, and for individual sacrifices...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 13, 2022 | Beshalach, God, Holiness, Sukkot, Temple
God watched over the Children of Israel as they traveled through the desert toward the Promised Land, guiding them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The pillars were a constant presence. At dawn the pillar of fire would stand in place,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2022 | Bo, God, Gratitude, Prayer, Temple
Judaism is an ethnic identity that bears with it many religious obligations. It is widely known that Jews circumcise their sons on the eighth day, a ritual called brit milah, as mandated in the Torah. But less well-known is the commandment of pidyon haben, redeeming...
by Mordi Levi | f 3, 2021 | Ezra and Nehemiah, Purity, Temple
The first time the olive tree is mentioned in the Bible is when Noah checked to see if the flood waters had receded. After the rain stopped falling, Noah waited until after the tops of the mountains became visible, and then sent a dove from the ark to check if the...
by Mordi Levi | f 2, 2021 | Covenant, God, Israel, Va'etchanan
After a brief introduction and a review of how the Children of Israel ended up at the banks of the Jordan River ready to inherit the Holy Land at the beginning of Deuteronomy, Moses begins to review some of the laws and commandments that they will have to keep in the...
