Rabbi's Sermons

Shabbat Shalom!

In this week's portion, Behalotchah, two mysterious characters are introduced: Eldad and Meidad, who unexpectedly, receive the gift of prophecy and began to prophesy among the people of Israel, as described in the book of Numbers chapter 11 as follows: “26 But there remained two of the men in the camp: the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit...Read more...

Chag Shavuot Sameach!

Shavuot is the festival of the delivery of the Torah, and it is characterized by the process of studying. In Israel, during the night of the Shavuot festival, the congregations usually carry out courses and cultural or musical activities, which begin after the religious services, and in many cases, finish until late at night. There are even participants who continue studying all...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

This week's Torah portion – Parashat Behar – raises one of the most difficult, interesting and complicated topics in Judaism – slavery. Unfortunately, even today, slavery still exists in some countries – perhaps not in the brutal form that was prevalent among ancient people, nor as it existed 200 years ago here in southern United States. Today, slavery is a crime against basic...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

After months of preparation, the Tabernacle, God's dwelling place among the Israelites, stands complete in the center of the camp. The people have donated their precious metals and finest textiles. Skilled artisans have crafted every element according to divine specifications. Aharon and his sons have undergone seven days of consecration rituals. The anticipation is palpable as the entire...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

This is the Shabbat right before Passover, it is called Shabbat Hagadol, which means “The great Shabbat”. Traditionally, the rabbi of the community in his sermon, deals with the laws of Passover. However, this time I will not go into details of the Halacha. Instead, I’d like to talk about the significance of this Shabbat. Since medieval times, this Shabbat has been something very...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

Yesterday we celebrated Purim. Which was your costume? Personally, I normally do not cover my face, but wear a costume, so my face still looks the same, without any makeup. When I was a child, my mother, of blessed memory, used to disguise me as a Mexican Charro, a seller, a baker, but she never covered my face with a mask, nor did she use makeup. This year I used my Mexican sombrero. My...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom!

Those of you who have seen the movie “The fiddler on the roof”, may remember, the funny part at the beginning of the movie, when they ask the Rabbi, whether a horse that was sold, was old or young: The first person says: “Rabbi! The horse was old, his teeth indicated it!”, and the Rabbi answers him: “you are right”; and then, another person argued: “But Rabbi, the...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom!

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shira – the Sabbath of singing. A well-known Midrash from the Talmud Babel in Sanhedrin 39b explains about it: “At that hour, the heavenly angels asked to sing a song before the Holy One, Blessed be He. The Holy One, Blessed be He, answered them: The works of my hands are drowning… and you intend to sing a song before me?”. This is the moment when...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

Parashat Vaera contains one of the most interesting passages of the Torah. From its four chapters, three of them detail seven of the ten plagues, which had affected Egypt, before the departure of the people of Israel, from slavery to freedom.

Most of us know the ten plagues from the Pesach´s Haggadah, that we read, as part of the Seder, during which we are almost...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

This week's Parashah Vayechi, is the Parasha that seals the Book of Genesis. This is a Parasha of endings, summaries, and completions of paths. It completes the personal and family story in the Book of Genesis, in preparation for the sharp transition, next week, from this family extension, to a national and historical sphere.

During this first week of 2025, I...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

This week’s portion MIKETZ is the miracle Parsha of the week of Chanukah. And usually the Rabbi has a hard time deciding whether to deal with the subject of the Festival of Lights or the weekly portion itself. It turns out that like almost everything in Judaism it can be both.

The weekly Torah portion begins with Pharaoh’s famous dream of the seven fat and...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

This week, my friend Rabbi Tamara Schifrin in Jerusalem gave a sermon on the weekly Torah portion, and I asked her permission to share some of her ideas that led to a most beautiful sermon with some additions of mine. She writes:

There is a saying: “Never feel useless; you can always be used as a bad example”. And if there is something you can learn from this...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

This week's portion, Hayei Sara, opens with the text from genesis 23: “1 Sarah’s lifetime—the span of Sarah’s life—came to one hundred and twenty-seven years. 2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba—now Hebron—in the land of Canaan; and Abraham proceeded to mourn for Sarah and to bewail her”.

According to tradition, each letter in the Torah, may have a...Read more...

Shabat Shalom,

“And the Lord had said unto Abram, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” Genesis 12:1, so begins the portion of this week, Lech Lecha, and so begins our Patriarch, Abraham, his voyage to a new life, to a new place, to the unknown!

Compared to the epic odyssey of our father...Read more...

Shabbat shalom!

And once again, Letachil miBereshit… like the song of Noemi Shemer… we begin from Bereshit… The Beginning… this first portion of the Torah has so many ideas and topics to discuss, that a whole life would not be enough to read and discuss all of them, by just having readings once a year. According to the Hebrew calendar, we just remembered a couple of days ago at Simchat Torah,...Read more...