Rabbi's Sermons

Shabbat shalom!

This week’s, Parashat Shoftim, is the direct continuation of last week's Parashat Ekev. This interesting reading calls for a new society to organize, in a judicial, governmental, and regional framework, according to the laws of the Torah. “Shoftim veshotrim”, judges and police officers, to develop a justice system, and its legislative authority, that would be in accordance with the...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

This week’s Parashat Vaetchanan presents the most significant values in Judaism: the repetition of the ten commandments, and the reading of Shema Israel. Today is also Shabbat Nachamu - Shabbat of consolation, the first of the Sheva Denachamuta, so called, the seven Shabbats between the 9th of Av that we left behind last Sunday and Rosh Hashana – the New Year we await with high...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

You may not be aware of it, but we are in a period of semi-mourning called “Bein Hametzarim – Between the fences of the city”. These are three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, next week, when we will remember the destruction of both temples in Jerusalem. One of the customs during these three weeks is to read during Shabbat morning services, three special Haftarot...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

          The haftarah from this week's portion, Parshat Balak, from the book of the prophet Micah Ch. 6, speaks of the powerlessness that the prophet feels before the sins of the people. The text reads, as follows: “4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servitude; and I...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom!

Both the first part of this week's Torah reading portion, Parashat Shelach Lecha, as well as the Haftara, deal with espionage: the twelve spies, who were sent by Moshe to scour the land, returning with the famous bunch of grapes (which became, by the way, the classic logo of Israeli wine producers: "Carmel Mizrachi"). And in the Haftara, there is the story about the two spies who were...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom!

Those whose native language is Hebrew, or who have lived in Israel for several decades, understand, that the language itself, is very rich in meaning and beauty, and that it offers us multiple levels of depth and understanding of the texts. Quite often, the simplest words in the daily-use language, expressed in a certain way, can generate an intense emotional response. In this week's...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom!

Many years ago, when I was still in high school, the Mexican government appealed to our civil duty (others say they took advantage of us), to participate as pollsters in the national census. The task was overwhelming, especially considering that knocking on doors from house to house in the heavy heat was not fun at all. To this you can add the negative responses of many citizens who saw...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

This week, two portions of the Torah, which are - MECHUBAROT - meaning – JOINED TOGETHER, are read. In fact, both “Tazria” and “Metzora”, are almost always read together and are considered the most difficult portions of the Torah to read. Topics on postpartum women, leper sores, or bodily fluids are difficult to read or hear about. So difficult has it been, in some liberal...Read more...

Shabat Shalom and Hag Sameach!

This week there is not reading of the Parasha. Today is Pesach VII, almost finishing the festivity of Passover! It has been a long week during which many were somehow affected by not eating normal bread and keeping away from any kind of Chametz. But what is the essence of this prohibition? What is Matzah and what is Chametz? Which is the real reason behind the prohibition...Read more...

Shabat Shalom!

We begin reading a new book, Leviticus - Vayikra, which begins in its first verse: “And called (Vayikra) the Lord unto Moshe, and spoke unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation”. Very few people notice that the letter ALEF at the end of the word VAYIKRA is written in a very small superscript form. This is not normal but there is an explanation for this.

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Shabbat Shalom!

This week's portion, Parashat Tetzave, begins with the command - of keeping a “Ner Tamid” - a "perpetual light", and immediately, two verses later, it changes the subject to indications about the garments of the priests, and especially, of the high priest. When the Masoretic sages divided the Torah into 5 books and 54 portions, they must have found a very special reason to include...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom!

The Declaration of Independence of Israel opens with the words: "In the Land of Israel the Jewish people arose, where its spiritual, religious and political character was shaped, where it lived a life of state-level community, where it created national and universal cultural assets and bequeathed to the entire world the eternal Book of Books" - the meaning is certainly the Book of the...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

Which is the first Jewish holiday on the Hebrew calendar that began to celebrate the people of Israel? What would you answer? Some commentators claim, that the people of Israel had already know about the Sabbath, even long before receiving the Torah at the mountain of Sinai, based on the way in which the fourth commandment indicates: "Remember". Remember the Sabbath, this would mean, to...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

The first time book I knew about the Book of Shemot that we begin this week, it was known to me by the name of Exodus. In Hebrew, Shemot means “NAMES”, and it is taken from the first verse of the book: "These are the NAMES of the people of Israel who came to Egypt...". This name was changed in the Greek septuagint version, to: EXODUS from the Greek ὁδόσ (odos) that means...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom,

Two main topics appear in this week's portion, Parashat Vayigash. The tale of Genesis, in Chapter 47, is little known and yet, very important in the Biblical story: Yosef's economic reforms in Egypt, during which, on the one hand, he saved the Egyptians from famine and sustained his country, using a strict hierarchical regime, and on the other hand, he separated Egyptian farmers from their lands, and...Read more...