Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

sparks

(print version)  Isn’t Humbleness Just Low Self-Esteem? “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) Was Moses, indeed, humble? The man who courageously challenged the mighty Pharaoh the King of Egypt, who led an entire people out of slavery, the man who after seeing the golden … [Read more...]

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny – Portion of Naso

smalltaste

(print version) Sometimes, the meaning of life is all about getting the right perspective. Take the story of the sixth ladder company firefighters on duty on the morning of September 11th. Minutes after the first plane hit the towers, they were rushing into 1 World Trade Center to try and reach the survivors on the floors above. On the … [Read more...]

Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

sparks

(print version) A Love Letter from the Divine After the miraculous Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people traveled in the desert for 49 days until they reached Mount Sinai on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. There they experienced the ultimate revelation and communion with G-d. They encountered G-d face to face, heard the voice of G-d and … [Read more...]

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny – Shavuot

smalltaste

(print version) Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well- known German composer, was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a grotesque hunchback. One day he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Frumtje. Moses fell helplessly in love with her. But Frumtje was repulsed by his misshapen … [Read more...]

Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

sparks

(print version) Prophecy 101: Ego is a Non-Prophet Venture This week we begin to read from the fourth of the five books of Moses. Although this book is referred to in English as the Book of Numbers, in Hebrew it is referred to as Bamidbar because of the opening verse; "And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness (Bamidbar) of Sinai ..." … [Read more...]

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny – Portion of Bamidbar

smalltaste

(print version) A windswept hill, where the leaves rustle on the olive trees, and the ground lies silent... almost in silent memorial, to the sounds that echoed here forty-two years ago.... The view today is mostly obscured; where once the hill overlooked the Northern side of Jewish Jerusalem, from across the Jordanian border, today the homes … [Read more...]

Rabbi David Aaron – Yom Yerushalayim

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Rabbi David Aaron shares personal reflections of Yom Yerushalayim Listen Now … [Read more...]

Counting the Omer: Judaism’s Secrets of Time – by Rav Binny Freedman

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Thank G-d for the Counting of the Omer – the seven essential weeks that plug us back into the value of making our time productive and meaningful. Rav Binny will open up the process of moving from Passover through the Omer to Shavuot, touching on the themes of freedom, appreciation, vacation, and even the deeper dynamics of the matza-bread … [Read more...]

Sparks – by Rabbi David Aaron

sparks

(print version) Bonding or Bondage Why Serve the Divine? “For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants who I took out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord G- d.” ~~ Leviticus 25:55 There is an Eastern teaching that proclaims, “Be here and now.” Torah however would say, “Serve G-d here and now.” Indeed, … [Read more...]

Small Tastings of Torah, Judaism and Spirituality from Rav Binny – Portion of Behar-Bechukotai

smalltaste

(print version) I once met a fellow who was born in Germany, but managed to get out in 1938 in the nick of time. Some people don't think of such a person as a survivor in the same way as someone who survived the death camps, but Shmuel (not his real name) lost his entire family; he was the only one who managed to get out. And after three years … [Read more...]

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