Tag: israel
-
One People, One Mission
Our Parasha this week opens with G-d commanding Aaron to light the seven branched Menorah daily. Aaron lights the wicks of the Menorah in a certain order. He starts with the outermost branch on the right and lights toward the center, then moves from the outermost branch on the left and moves toward the center.…
-
An Audacious Choice
The Menorah is one of the oldest Jewish symbols. In the Book of Exodus, G-d shows Moses the design of the Menorah, which is then executed by the artisan Bezalel. It is made out of one block of pure gold. In this week’s Torah portion, (Leviticus 24:1-4) Aaron is commanded to light the Menorah in…
-
Happy Birthday Israel
When Theodore Herzl conceived of the idea of a Jewish State, he hoped that it would solve the “Jewish problem” — that antisemitism would be eradicated if Jews could become a normal people in a normal nation state. Yet here we are, 77 years after the founding of the State of Israel, and antisemitism is…
-
Out of Egypt Part V
On our tour of Egypt I had eagerly anticipated our visit to the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, which was recently re-opened as a tourist site by the Egyptian government. The Ben Ezra Synagogue is the place where the Cairo Geniza was discovered, a treasure trove of Jewish manuscript fragments from the 6th to the…
-
Returning the Hostages
Dear Friends, Today we received news of the impending release of some Israeli hostages held by Hamas in conjunction with a cease fire agreement between Israel and the terrorist organization. I want to share with you the words of Rabbi Tamar Elad Appelbaum from Jerusalem who expresses so beautifully the hopes and fears of Israelis…
-
Noa and Joseph
Today I want to share a poem with you by Israeli poet Natanel Ellinson. It was published in a weekly newsletter I receive from Israel called “Shabbat Shalom”. I discovered this newsletter on a visit to Israel in 2017, where a hard copy for the week was waiting for me on my seat at a…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 