Rabbi 4/11

Dec 15, 2023

Parashat Miketz: Finding Hope in a Dark Time

Our Parasha, Miketz, brings the stories of Joseph's success, the fulfillment of the dreams he interpreted. Joseph goes from darkness to...

Dec 8, 2023

Parashat Vayeshev: From Envy to Enlightenment

There is no doubt that envy is a feeling that generates discomfort, both in the one who feels it and in the one who receives it. It...

Dec 1, 2023

Parashat Vayishlach: Everything is Foreseen, but Choice is Possible

According to the Avot Treaty, in chapter 3, it is Rabbi Akiva who teaches us that Hakol tzafui vehareshut netuna "Everything is foreseen,...

Dec 1, 2023

Standing United for Israel in Washington DC

Once again, I must begin my article in the Temple Times with images of an event I witnessed, just as it happened with last month's and...

Nov 23, 2023

Parashat Vayetzei: Ascending Jacob's Ladder

This parasha invites us to witness a very special process: that of how a complicated, intricate, and twisted individual in their...

Nov 17, 2023

Parashat Toldot: A Way out of Violence

And this is the lineage of Isaac, son of Abraham; Abraham fathered Isaac. (Genesis 25:19) Thus begins Parashat Toldot, which will delve...

Nov 9, 2023

Parashat Chayei-Sarah: Leaving an Imprint on the Lives of Others

"They were Sarah's days..." That's how this Parasha begins, with an enigmatic start, contradicting the Parasha's name, "The Lives of...

Nov 4, 2023

Parashat Vayera: Finding the Humanity Within All of Us

Every time we reread this Torah portion, I find myself pondering a recurring question, especially in these times. I'm not a fan of...

Nov 1, 2023

Who owns the Holy Land?

Once again, vivid memories flood my mind as I write for the Temple Times. Almost beautiful memories, like those we experienced during the...

Oct 27, 2023

Parashat Lech Lecha: Finding the Strength to Thrive

Parashat Lech Lecha offers us a profound and transformative perspective. The phrase "Go from your land, from your birthplace, from your...

Oct 18, 2023

Parashat Noach: We Are Our Brother's Guardians

Parashat Noach encompasses two prominent stories; two stories that have always stayed with us in memory. The first, of course, is the...

Oct 13, 2023

Parashat Bereshit: Our Responsibility to Israel as Jews

We have always been a people with a religion and a long tradition of taking responsibility. Responsible for the world around us, for our...

Oct 9, 2023

Statement Condemning Recent Attacks Against Israel

Members of Temple Beth El of Utica strongly condemn the savage attacks carried out by extremist fanatics from the terrorist organization...

Oct 8, 2023

An important year ahead

I am writing these lines as the melodies and words of the prayers of Yamim Noraim (High Holy Days) confront our conscience with the...

Oct 5, 2023

Parashat Shemini Atzeret: Counting the Mitzvot

How many mitzvot are there? I am not referring to how many we fulfill or should fulfill, as some argue that there are mitzvot related to...

Sep 28, 2023

Parashat Shabbat Sukkot: The Tradition of Sharing Your Dwelling

It is the first night in the sukkah, and what better way to celebrate than also observing Shabbat? The book of Vayikra (Leviticus) says:...

Sep 21, 2023

Parashat Ha'azinu: We are a People of Music

A Hasidic tale recounts that when the Baal Shem Tov sensed that a calamity was approaching for his people, he would retreat to a place in...

Sep 14, 2023

Parashat Rosh Hashanah: The Two Beings Who Live Inside All of Us

תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֜כֶּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ Sound the shofar on the New Moon, on the appointed time for the day of our...

Sep 7, 2023

Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech: The Torah is not in the Heavens

Lo Bashamaim hi. The Torah is not in the heavens. The Talmud illustrates this with a story we have shared before, the story of Taanuro...

Aug 31, 2023

Parashat Ki Tavo: To Whom Do We Owe Our Successes?

"And when you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, you shall take...

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