(click here for print version) The Divine Wants You to be Happy When Rules Become Delicious Recipes for Your Soul “And these are the judgments that you shall place before them.”— Exodus 21:1 "You shall place before them, that is, like a table that is set and ready for eating."— Rashi “Taste and see that G-d is … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) At the end of World War Two, the United States Army liberated the Concentration camp of Buchenwald, and began the painstaking process of administering to the survivors. Rabbi Herschel Schechter, who was the chaplain of the US eighth army, stayed in the camp and attempted, as much as was possible, to create a … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) Is G-d Just a Cosmic Party Pooper? How to Find Our Mission in Life I recall a cute comic strip depicting Moses coming down from Mt.Sinai with the Ten Commandments written in stone. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” he announces to the Israelites waiting anxiously at the bottom of the mountain. “The … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) Friday night. The sun has long since set, dark clouds hide the stars, and the wind is howling off the Shouf mountain range in central Lebanon. I had managed to quietly sing the Kabbalat Shabbat service, while en-route to the ambush site, and even pray the evening service while in the staging ground, before … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) The Nourishing Power of Love Is Your Food Missing Vitamin L? When the Israelites were wandering in the desert, G-d fed them with a hitherto unknown substance called “manna.” The people would go out of their tents every morning, and find this strange stuff lying there on the ground. G-d tells the … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) One of the greatest gifts we have in this world is the ability to make choices in our lives. Though sometimes, we might wish we didn’t have to make those choices. They had trained us for just such a moment. Again and again, this exact question had come up; in fact, an entire day in Officer’s course had been … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) The Miraculous Power of Love The first of the Ten Commandments is: “I am YHVH your G-d Who took you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” The Zohar, the magnum corpus of Jewish mysticism, explains: “This is the foundation and the root of Torah, all the commandments, and the complete faith of … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) What does it mean to truly live in, to truly be in a moment? One day, when we are all up in heaven, perhaps I will have the chance to ask Noam Apter, 22, of Otniel. Friday night: White tablecloths and china, the light of the Shabbat candles, and the sweet singing of Shalom Aleichem, a song of peace that begins … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) Where is G-d, the Miracle Maker? People often say, “If there is really a G-d, why doesn’t He do outright miracles anymore? I would believe in G-d if I saw the ten plagues in Egypt, the sea split or some other supernatural event.” In the past, G-d did miracles in order to prevent some terrible tragedy … [Read more...]
(click here for print version) Are we here because we have made the right choices, or have all the right choices really been made for us? It was meant to be a routine patrol which, but for this incident, would long have been forgotten. We were on reserve duty during the Intifada (the original Intifada, back in 89’) doing a jeep patrol in a … [Read more...]
Special Rosh Chodesh Adar addition of Challa and Chasidut! Dear Friends, After a brief one week hiatus, Challa and Chasidut resumes this … [Read More...]
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Isralight Mastering Kiruv Seminar scheduled to take place this Motzei Shabbat, Feb. 4th has been postponed … [Read More...]
Challa and Chasidut continues this Thursday evening February 9 @ 7:30 pm. As always we’ll begin with a brief meet and greet with refreshments, … [Read More...]