Tag: torah
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Praying Together or Alone?
The emphasis in Judaism tends to be on communal prayer. We need a “minyan”, a gathering of ten adults, in order to recite the mourner’s kaddish and other prayers in our liturgy. Jewish law states that one should make every attempt to pray in a synagogue with the community. The rabbis even maintain that one’s…
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Into the Wilderness
There is a cartoon by the artist Mari Andrew showing two identical drawings of a woman holding a suitcase, staring at the road in front of her. On one side, she stares at an empty road ahead, and the caption reads: “I’m leaving.” On the other side, there is a road leading to a city,…
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We Feel the Earth Move
The Torah gives a vivid description of the giving of the Ten Commandments. “….. There was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn. And all the people in the camp trembled ……… Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Lord had come down…
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Riddles
Who is buried in Grant’s tomb? When was the War of 1812? Who fought the French and Indian war? If a plane crashed on the border of the United States and Canada, where do they bury the survivors? These kinds of riddles are told by Dad’s to their kids when their children reach the age…
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The Proper Attitude in Prayer
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the great Chasidic master, was once visiting a town. He came to the community’s synagogue but refused to enter. The townspeople were astounded. Why was he refusing to cross the threshold of their House of Prayer? they asked. “The synagogue is too crowded,” he replied. The townspeople looked at one…
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A Summary Execution?
Last week’s parasha closed with the Israelites, encamped at a place called Shittim. There, they begin to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab, a pagan people. A plague breaks out among the people, an expression of God’s displeasure (to say the least) with the Israelite’s descent into paganism. An Israelite prince named Zimri brings…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 