Category Archives: Weekly On-line Rabbi’s D’var-Torah
We Remember
Here we are on the 3rd day of Passover. Spring is here. We are looking forward to the Festival of Shavuot which celebrates the giving of the Torah and the summer harvest. It is only seven weeks away. This ought to be a happy … Continue reading
The Good Guys
It seems like only yesterday that I saw the movie “48 Hours” transform Eddie Murphy into a bona fide movie star. Although it was definitely a comedy, there was a pretty serious moment at the end. The bad guy of the movie, … Continue reading
Making Room
I still remember my childhood bedroom. I had one wall completely covered with images that I had cut out from magazines. They were mostly my favorite players from my favorite teams. That wall made it my room as opposed to anybody else’s. It made … Continue reading
Posted in Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
Tagged bible, god, Israel, sacred-space, synagogue, tabernacle, temple
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Making Coffee
The story is told of a funeral that took place on a bitter cold day. People were lined up around the funeral home waiting to get in and offer some words of comfort to the family. Some were shaking with cold, while … Continue reading
Some Help for Oz
I first met Oz Balas Bareket when he accompanied a group of his students from MetroWest High School in Ra’anana on their visit to New Jersey. He was very interested in discussing non-orthodox Judaism in the US. A couple of years later, … Continue reading
Posted in Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
Tagged Gaza, Hamas, idf, Israel, news, palestine
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Just Another Witch Hunt
We throw around the term “witch hunt” pretty casually these days. Anyone who has lost their job or anyone who thinks that they are being unfairly accused of wrongdoing immediately claims to be the target of a witch hunt. The Merriam-Webster … Continue reading
Posted in Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
Tagged history, taylor-swift, witch, witch-trials, witchcraft
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“How’s Everybody Doing?”
I don’t know about you, but I never knew that Elmo was on X or Twitter. Apparently, Elmo is quite active on X and this past Monday, Elmo posted the following: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” That … Continue reading
Posted in Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
Tagged checking-in, elmo, news, sesame-street, x
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Hamas & the Amalekites
Shortly after October 7th, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared to Hamas to the Amalekites. A lot of people who don’t know very much about Judaism have claimed that Bibi’s use of that language was a call to genocide. People who know … Continue reading
Posted in Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
Tagged amalekites, bible, Hamas, Israel
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Why Not A Ceasefire?
Just yesterday, I was discussing the situation in Israel and Gaza with someone who is genuinely struggling to understand the situation. He asked, “What is so wrong about calling for a ceasefire?” On its face, it’s a reasonable question. After all, who … Continue reading
Posted in Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
Tagged Gaza, Hamas, Israel, moses, politics
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Dr. Gay Resigns
So, on Tuesday, Dr. Claudine Gay stepped down as President of Harvard University. I cannot name the person whom she succeeded as President of Harvard. I surely didn’t go to Harvard. I’ve never even stepped foot on the campus of Harvard. And yet, it … Continue reading
shalom RAF 