­

Parashat Terumah 5784 – Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Helen Keller said: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Andrew Carnegie said: “Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” I think we can all agree with these statements. Both apply to today’s parshah. In parshah Terumah, God says to Moses,”They shall make for me […]

Parashat Bo 5784

This weeks Parshat Bo explains how Moses was told by God to tell the Pharaoh that if he doesn’t let his people go, he will bring the 8th plague of locusts to swarm the land.

Pharaoh urged his staff to let the Hebrews go but Pharaoh would only let the men go and not the […]

Parashat Va’era 5784 – Overcoming Self-Doubt

Self-doubt can be defined as a lack of confidence in oneself and one’s abilities. It could be about our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, opinions, decisions, and self-views, or any truth we hold in our minds. Researchers suggest that self-doubt specifically involves questioning our own competence.

In this week’s parshah, God tells Moses that he wants Moses to […]

Parashat Shemot

In Parshah Shemot, we learn about Moses and the burning bush, which is a significant event in the life of Moses and the beginning of his mission to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. When Moses sees the burning bush, he approaches it and hears the voice of G-d calling out to him. G-d […]

Parashat Vayechi – The Blessing of Remembering

I am in the midst of a project at home. I’m making a written record of my most treasured belongings – few in number though they may be – and deciding on what is to become of them when I die. For those of you know me, the details I’ve included in these files would […]

Parashat Toldot: Deception

The Talmud tells us that the seal of God is stamped with truth. One of the Ten Commandments is to not bear false witness, and there are prohibitions against being dishonest in business and generally misleading others. We tend to think that lying is bad and we advocate for honesty. Yet, if we are to […]

Parashat Vayera: Don’t Look Back!

In today’s Torah reading I will focus on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities known for their wickedness and immorality. The people there engaged in sinful acts for which G-d destroyed their cities.

G-d sent two angels to investigate the situation and determine if there were any righteous individuals within the cities. The angels […]

Parashat Lech L’cha: Thank You to the Following Kehillah Members

Lech L’cha is one of my favorite parashiot in the Torah. In it, Gd tells Abraham to seek a new life in a new land, where his people will ultimately grow in number. Leave your comfort zone, Avram! Leave all that is familiar. Be bold. Seek something better. And I, Gd, will be with you. […]

Parashat Bereshit: Dealing with Rejection

Rejection is something we all deal with at some time in our lives. An early example of rejection can be found in today’s parasha in the story of Cain and Abel. The two brothers gave their offerings to God. Cain, a farmer, brought produce he had grown and Abel, a shepherd, brought an offering from […]

Parashat Re’eh: Blessings and Curses

Life is endowed with blessings and curses; good and evil all mixed together. It is up to each of us to choose to do good or to do evil. So begins today’s parasha.

This seems like a logical and timely message following on the heels of the High Holidays during which we prayed for forgiveness for […]