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Transforming Darkness to Light
This week’s thought for Shabbat is dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Philp Lazowski, who passed away on June 18 at the age of 96. Rabbi Lazowski was a childhood survivor of the Holocaust. He immigrated to this country with his father and brother after the war and was ordained as a rabbi in 1962.…
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A Special Moment
“Blessed are You, Sovereign of the Universe, who keeps us in life, who sustains us, and who enables us to reach this time.” The Shehecheyanu blessing is recited at moments when we feel joy and gratitude simply for being alive. It expresses thanks for God’s gift of allowing us to arrive at a meaningful moment…
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We Looked like Grasshoppers
In this week’s Torah portion, the Israelites are a little over two years removed from the Exodus from Egypt. They are encamped at Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Paran, about 50 miles south of present day Ber-Sheva. Moses sends spies to reconnoiter the Promised Land in preparation for a military invasion. But the spies return…
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The Flame Within
Every Friday night Jews around the world initiate the Sabbath with the lighting of the Shabbat Candles with the following blessing: “Barukh Ata Adonai …….Lehadlik ner shel Shabbat”. On Chanukah, we also light candles with a blessing — ……. “Lehadlik ner shel Chanukah”. In both blessings, the Hebrew word for “lighting” is “Lehadlik”. But in…
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I Have a Confession
Those of us who have attended Yom Kippur services may be familiar with the term Vidui (vee-DOO-ee) — confession. The prayers that make up the Vidui are recited ten times over the course of Yom Kippur! The best‑known among them are Ashamnu and Al Chet — the latter more familiar to many by its English…
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A Judaism without Israel?
In his great legal code, the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides praises the discipline of silence: “One should always cultivate silence and refrain from speaking, except about matters of knowledge or things necessary for one’s physical welfare. It was said that Rav, the disciple of our saintly teacher Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, never uttered an idle word in…
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The Enduring Power of Study
Our Torah reading this week begins, “If you walk in My ordinances and fulfill My commandments…” before proceeding to list the blessings that follow. Rashi explains that “walking in My ordinances” refers to diligent Torah study, while “fulfilling My commandments” refers to performing mitzvot. The Talmud makes a striking distinction between these two categories. Although…
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Rising to the Occasion
Our Torah reading for this week opens with the words: “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: A priest shall not defile himself among his people.” The Torah then prohibits priests from coming into contact with the dead, except for seven close relatives — wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother,…
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On Israel’s 78th Birthday
Last Tuesday we celebrated the 78th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. This comes at a time when there has been a notable shift in the feelings of Americans toward the State. A Pew research poll conducted on April 7 of this year found that 60% of Americans have an unfavorable view…
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Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 