A few days ago was the anniversary of the statement of a revolutionary concept. For centuries, people have been taught to believe there can be an ideal time where there is no sickness, no war and complete peace. The Ancient Romans and Greeks didn’t have such a belief. After all, they had a god for war and a god for peace. What would the god of war do if strife were eliminated.? Kind of disrespectful to put the guy out of a job. Moses met with G-d himself and to with the People of Israel, he discussed necessary wars, concepts … Continue reading →

It seems that Moshiach is a popular Jewish topic nowadays (i.e the subject of the coming of the Jewish Messiah). Or at least it is considered something worth discussing. A few decades ago, when someone discussed Moshiach openly, he would receive replies such as “Of course it is in prayer and of course it is something we believe in..but lets’ not go public with it because we don’t want people to think we are followers of the other religion.” But believe it or not, the Messiah is originally a Jewish concept and was not revised out of the religion just … Continue reading →

This week’s Parsha starts with the word “Bo,” when G-d tells Moshe Rabbeinu to “come” to Paro (Pharaoh). Something immediately seems unusual about this; Why does Moshe say “come” to Paro instead of “Go” to Paro? “Come” implied “Come with me.” The Zohar says that Moshe was intimidated at the prospect of facing Paro. Buy why would the highest level of kedusha in human form, the outward manifestation of Divine Wisdom, Moshe Rabbeinu, be afraid of Paro, even though Paro was the epitome of evil? Paro’s deeds and wicked commands truly made him seem like the epitome of evil. But … Continue reading →

In perhaps one of the most startling moments in the Bible, Moses confronts G-d about the treatment of the Children of Israel at the hands of their slavemasters the Egyptians; “Why have you done evil to your people?” he exclaims. I remember as a child feeling very startled at this. How could Moses of all people have the chutzpah (or rather, the holy chutzpah) to talk to G-d like that? Aside from the very boldness of the statement, one could also as how could Moses, who had access to the highest levels of divine knowledge and was the greatest prophet … Continue reading →

Perfection is not always perfect. Sometimes there is an ingredient missing that makes a beautiful or impressive object or structure vulnerable, in spite of its apparent sturdiness and the quality of its materials. The First Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple in Jerusalem) was the most perfect structure ever built and was a shining bastion of holiness bright with gold. However, the Temple lacked one thing: the aspect of eternity. The First and Second Temples, as perfect as they seemed, were both destroyed. As we approach the complete and true Redemption, the aspect of eternity, which up until now has been associated … Continue reading →

I played a game with my kids yesterday. I ask them to tie a ribbon around the first fruit they saw. Alright, maybe the lemons have been hanging on our ancient tree for a while, so they aren’t exactly first fruits. But thank G-d children are blessed with imaginations that enable them to ignore otherwise essential details that would do nothing more at particular moment than mar a beautiful picture. I told them to imagine picking the fruit, placing it in a special basket and taking it to the Holy Temple. It is fascinating and humbling to think how close … Continue reading →

So lately, I’ve had a rather mundane yet perplexing dilemma. Should I give up coffee or not? For a while, I gave up coffee and felt terrific. The kind of energy I got from coffee was instant, a lift, a gift, but too good to be true; it brought me high, and I got knocked off a cliff later, my energy sank. So I was “good” for awhile. Ate more whole grains, vegetables, and yes, gave up coffee and sugar. I had a feeling of health and energy that truly came from within; I wasn’t “cheating” my energy levels. But … Continue reading →

I apologize to my readers that I have been away for the past month. We were quite busy during the Jewish holidays and my husband was traveling abroad, so I had to hold the fort with my two smallest children while my oldest son enjoyed a trip to Crown Heights with his father. If you’ve ever seen pictures of the famous synagogue 770 in the month of Tishrei, you perhaps can recall the sea of black hats and jackets. It is truly an amazing sight. There were 10,000 visitors to Crown Heights over the holidays, and I am always amazed … Continue reading →

My four-year old son heard fireworks the other night. I thought he was going to want to go outside and see the spectacle. Fireworks are not so frequent in Israel and I don’t know if he made the connection between the sound and the beautiful sparks in the sky, but this time at least, half-asleep, he was not thinking of fireworks. “Is that the sound of G-d creating the world anew every second…Oh, there it is again!” There is a beautiful concept in Chassidic philosophy that G-d did not just create the world and leave it alone. Nor did he … Continue reading →

Every week, I try to attend services across from our house. Sometimes I opt for a women’s group which focuses on weekly in-depth studying of different sections of the Torah or “parshas.” This past week, the group organizer passed out slips based on important sections from the Torah and what prominent figures like Moshe or Avraham or Ruth said. There were names of tribes and daughter and sons whose names I didn’t recognize or couldn’t even pronounce clearly. We read these section aloud, gave our own spiritual interpretation and tried to associate them with the trials and tribulations of modern … Continue reading →