Episodes

  • parasha Chayei Sarah 5784 - A Life Well-Lived
    Nov 11 2023

    weekly Torah reading: parasha Chayei Sarah 5784 - A Life Well-Lived

    “And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; [these were] the years of the life of Sarah.” – Genesis 23:1, The Complete Jewish Tanach

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    5 mins
  • parasha Vayera 5784
    Nov 4 2023

    weekly Torah reading: parasha Vayera 5784

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    4 mins
  • Abraham’s Calling
    Oct 27 2023

    weekly Torah reading: parasha Lech Lecha 5784

    “Now the L-RD said unto Abram: ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee.’” – Genesis 12:1, JPS 1917 Tanach

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    5 mins
  • parasha Noach 5784 - A Place of Refuge in Time of Need
    Oct 22 2023

    weekly Torah reading: parasha Noach 5784

    “The dove came back to him toward evening, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf. Then Noah knew that the waters had decreased on the earth.” – Genesis 8:11, JPSN

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    9 mins
  • parasha Bereishis 5784 - G-d is Our Life Force
    Oct 14 2023

    weekly Torah reading: parasha Bereishis 5784

    “The heavens declare the glory of G-d, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” – Psalm 19:2, JPS 1917 Tanach

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    5 mins
  • Mishnah Insights: Berachos 4:6 & 5:1
    Jan 12 2022

    Mishnah Berachos 4:6 - prayer during travel

    "One who was traveling in a ship or on a raft should focus his heart opposite the Holy of Holies." - sefaria.org

    Mishnah Berachos 5:1 - preparation before prayer

    The recommended state-of-mind to acquire, before the Shemonah Esrei, standing prayer, when we stand before H’Shem, as if standing in front of a king. (And how much more so, since He is sovereign King of the Universe).

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    4 mins
  • prayer: Kavanah (Intentional Focus)
    Oct 24 2021

    The words of kitvei kodesh (holy scripture) have meaning above and beyond the words themselves and are best understood within the greater context of the themes of the biblical narratives they portray, as well as their theological significance. The prayers in the siddur (prayerbook) may become an active means for inculcating the values, traditions, and beliefs of religion into our lives.

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    3 mins
  • Sukkot 5782 - Shabbat Chol HaMoed
    Sep 23 2021

    Torah reading: Exodus 33:12 - 34:26

    The word sakoti, similar to sukkah, means cover or covering, and is found in the following verse: “And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover [sakoti] thee with My hand* until I have passed by” (Exodus 33:22, JPS 1917 Tanach). This is one connection found to Sukkot in the parashas chosen as the reading for Shabbat Chol HaMoed.

    *According to Ibn Ezra, some commentators translate kappi (hand) as clouds. Thus the rendering is that the cloud covered Moses, in like manner as the Cloud of Glory, also symbolized by a sukkah.

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    5 mins