Genesis 19:11 וְֽאֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־פֶּ֣תַח הַבַּ֗יִת הִכּוּ֙ בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֔ים מִקָּטֹ֖ן וְעַד־גָּד֑וֹל וַיִּלְא֖וּ לִמְצֹ֥א הַפָּֽתַח׃ And the people who were at the entrance of the house, low and high alike, they struck with blinding light, so that they were helpless to find the entrance. One of the central themes of the book of Genesis is that our eyes see what our heart guides…
Genesis 11:31 וַיִּקַּ֨ח תֶּ֜רַח אֶת־אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנ֗וֹ וְאֶת־ל֤וֹט בֶּן־הָרָן֙ בֶּן־בְּנ֔וֹ וְאֵת֙ שָׂרַ֣י כַּלָּת֔וֹ אֵ֖שֶׁת אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנ֑וֹ וַיֵּצְא֨וּ אִתָּ֜ם מֵא֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֗ים לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ עַד־חָרָ֖ן וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans for the…
October 17, 2025 Genesis 2:17 וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טוֹב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃ When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She…
This week, many of us read the news of the ceasefire with immense joy and gratitude. As we pray that the ceasefire is upheld and the hostages are released, one story in particular stands out. One young man taken hostage from the Nova Festival on October 7th was Guy Gilboa Dalal. On October 6th, the eve of that tragic day,…
October 6, 2025 Amos 9:11 בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא אָקִ֛ים אֶת־סֻכַּ֥ת דָּוִ֖יד הַנֹּפֶ֑לֶת וְגָדַרְתִּ֣י אֶת־פִּרְצֵיהֶ֗ן וַהֲרִֽסֹתָיו֙ אָקִ֔ים וּבְנִיתִ֖יהָ כִּימֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃ In that day, I will raise the fallen booth of David. I will mend its breaches and set up its ruins anew. I will build as days of old. The timing of this holiday in relation to October 7th will always be…
Lamentations 5:21 הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ ונשובה חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃ O Lord, Return us to you, And we will return. Renew our days as of old! Falling in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, there is a special name and theme to this Shabbat: Shabbat Shuva, or the Shabbat of Return. We are to use this Shabbat, and this ten day period…
Deuteronomy 30:14 כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃ The thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it. The mystic and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, known as the Kedushat Levi, asked the following question: On Passover, during the singing of Dayenu, we state that it would have been enough had God brought us…
Deuteronomy 27:5 וּבָנִ֤יתָ שָּׁם֙ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ לַיהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ מִזְבַּ֣ח אֲבָנִ֔ים לֹא־תָנִ֥יף עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם בַּרְזֶֽל׃ There, too, you shall build an altar to the Lord, your God, an altar of stones. Do not wield an iron tool over them. Our Rabbis teach that the ancient mystics used to prepare for hours before reciting their daily prayers. The meditation preceding prayer was a way…
Deuteronomy 23:23 וְכִ֥י תֶחְדַּ֖ל לִנְדֹּ֑ר לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה בְךָ֖ חֵֽטְא׃ You incur no guilt if you refrain from vowing. There is no part of the High Holy Day liturgy more iconic, or more unusual, than Kol Nidre. Not a prayer in itself, Kol Nidre – the very first words of Yom Kippur – is a declaration annulling the vows we made to…
Deuteronomy 18:10 לֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּ֖וֹ בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃ Let no one be found among you who consigns a son or daughter to the fire, or who practices divination, an astrologer, one who reads omens, or a sorcerer. Being human is, in many ways, unfair. We are created with the blessing of foresight and the capacity to…