Friday June 9, 2023 – כ׳ סִיוָן תשפ”ג וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה[וָאֹמַר] רָאִיתִי וְהִנֵּה מְנוֹרַת זָהָב כֻּלָּהּ וְגֻלָּהּ עַל־רֹאשָׁהּ וְשִׁבְעָה נֵרֹתֶיהָ עָלֶיהָ שִׁבְעָה וְשִׁבְעָה מוּצָקוֹת לַנֵּרוֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשָׁהּ׃ וּשְׁנַיִם זֵיתִים עָלֶיהָ אֶחָד מִימִין הַגֻּלָּה וְאֶחָד עַל־שְׂמֹאלָהּ׃ (זכריה ד:ב-ג) He said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a lampstand all […]
Friday June 2, 2023 – י״ג סִיוָן תשפ”ג “It’s simple,” exclaimed Rabbi Prof. Larry Hoffman, “Don’t be a zealot.” It was a response to a question posed[1]about believers and the fine line between being fervent, vehement, and adamant in one’s belief and practice on the one hand and not being an extremist, a radical, or […]
May 24, 2023 – ה׳ סִיוָן תשפ”ג – Erev Shavuot – ערב שבועות ויחן שם ישראל. כאיש אחד בלב אחד, אבל שאר כל החניות בתרעומות ובמחלוקת רש”י על שמות י״ט:ב׳:ב~ “And there Israel camped as one person and with one mind — but all their other encampments were made in a murmuring spirit and in […]
Friday May 19, 2023 – כ״ח אִיָיר תשפ”ג אַךְ אֶת־מַטֵּה לֵוִי לֹא תִפְקֹד וְאֶת־רֹאשָׁם לֹא תִשָּׂא בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ וְאַתָּה הַפְקֵד אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם עַל־מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת וְעַל כׇּל־כֵּלָיו וְעַל כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ הֵמָּה יִשְׂאוּ אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְאֶת־כׇּל־כֵּלָיו וְהֵם יְשָׁרְתֻהוּ וְסָבִיב לַמִּשְׁכָּן יַחֲנוּ׃ (במבדר א:מ”ט-נ’) “Do not on any account enroll the tribe of Levi or take a census of them […]
Friday May 12, 2023 –תשפ”ג כ׳ אִיָיר הַבּוֹנִים בַּחוֹמָה וְהַנֹּשְׂאִים בַּסֶּבֶל עֹמְשִׂים בְּאַחַת יָדוֹ עֹשֶׂה בַמְּלָאכָה וְאַחַת מַחֲזֶקֶת הַשָּׁלַח׃ (נחמיה ד:יא) “Those who were rebuilding the wall – The basket-carriers were burdened, doing work with one hand while the other held a weapon.” – Nehemiah 4:11 At the time of writing, rockets are falling […]
Friday May 5, 2023 – י״ד אִיָיר תשפ”ג The Knesset returned to full action this week launching its summer session and resuming the Netanyahu government’s legislative agenda. This agenda is hell-bent on pushing through its judicial “reforms” to limit significantly the Supreme Court’s independence and essentially dismantle Israel’s democratic institution. There is much speculation about […]
Friday April 28, 2023 – ז׳ אִיָיר תשפ”ג וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ (ויקרא יט:א) “יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, your God יהוה, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:1) “הישן […]
Berl Katznelson (1887-1944), an early Zionist visionary, shared the following statement to a conference of leaders of the Youth Aliyah: “Whoever comes to uproot the redemption of Israel from the tractate of moral values and the liberation of humanity is not strengthening the causes of redemption. If justice, law, and freedom are no longer […]
By Daryl Messinger Next Week I will be travelling to Jerusalem to lead a delegation of more than 60 Reform Jews and Zionists to represent our North American Reform Movement at the World Zionist Congress*. Since the Congress in 2020 took place online only, the World Zionist Organization* is running an “Extra-ordinary” Congress. THIS […]
Friday April 14, 2023 – כ״ג נִיסָן תשפ”ג “וְהָיָה֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא שֹׁ֣רֶשׁ יִשַׁ֗י אֲשֶׁ֤ר עֹמֵד֙ לְנֵ֣ס עַמִּ֔ים אֵלָ֖יו גּוֹיִ֣ם יִדְרֹ֑שׁוּ וְהָיְתָ֥ה מְנֻחָת֖וֹ כָּבֽוֹד׃” (ישעיהו יא:י) “On that day, the stock of Jesse that has remained standing Shall become a miracle to peoples—And his abode shall be honored.” (Isaiah 11:10) In November 2006, I set […]
