Friday March 31, 2023 – ט׳ נִיסָן תשפ”ג Why is this year different? Because this year many of us who live in Israel, feel close to and invested in Israel, and champion the Jewish values of freedom – חופש, equality – שיוון, and justice – צדק, see the reality possibility that those values are threatened […]
Friday March 25, 2023 – ב׳ נִיסָן תשפ”ג אֲשֶׁר נָשִׂיא יֶחֱטָא וְעָשָׂה אַחַת מִכׇּל־מִצְוֺת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תֵעָשֶׂינָה בִּשְׁגָגָה וְאָשֵׁם׃ (ויקרא ד:כב) “In case it is a chieftain who incurs guilt by doing unwittingly any of the things which by the commandment of his God יהוה ought not to be done, and he realizes […]
Friday March 17, 2023 – כ״ד אַדָר תשפ”ג Have you ever asked someone a question about Israel, made a point, expressed an opinion, or tried to challenge someone else’s claim, and received the following response: “Well, you see…it’s complicated…” “It’s complicated” is likely the most unhelpful, knee-jerk, and overused two-word response, and here’s why […]
By Rabbi Loren Sykes Mr. Prime Minister, I am a Zionist. I love Israel. I love what it is, what it represents, and that to which it aspires to be – a light unto the nations. I love Israel so much that I uprooted my family nine years ago and made Aliyah from Chicago […]
Friday March 10, 2023 – י״ז אַדָר תשפ”ג שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה, שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה, אָבִיב הִגִּיעַ, פֶּסַח בָּא! (יפה בלהה) “Great happiness, Great happiness, Spring has arrived, and Pesach is coming!” ~ Yaffah Bilha In December 2010, Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest outside a government office in the […]
Friday March 3, 2023 – י׳ אַדָר תשפ”ג כׇּל מִי שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לִמְחוֹת לְאַנְשֵׁי בֵיתוֹ וְלֹא מִיחָה — נִתְפָּס עַל אַנְשֵׁי בֵיתוֹ. בְּאַנְשֵׁי עִירוֹ — נִתְפָּס עַל אַנְשֵׁי עִירוֹ. בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ — נִתְפָּס עַל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ. (שבת נד ע”ב) “All who can protest against something wrong that one of their family is doing and […]
February 24, 2023 – ג׳ אַדָר תשפ”ג Greetings from Tel Aviv! Despite our preoccupation with the impending judicial revolution and the grave threats to Israel’s democracy, there is nothing quite like being here. Being here during this crucial moment in Israeli and Jewish history leads one to ponder the purpose and the goal of having […]
Friday February 17, 2023 – כ״ו שְׁבָט תשפ”ג לְמַעַן צִיּוֹן לֹא אֶחֱשֶׁה וּלְמַעַן יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֹא אֶשְׁקוֹט עַד יֵצֵא כַנֹּגַהּ צִדְקָהּ וִישׁוּעָתָהּ כְּלַפִּיד יִבְעָר : (ישעיהו סב:א) “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch will burn.” (Isaiah 62:1) […]
February 10, 2023 – י״ט שְׁבָט תשפ”ג The world as we know it exists on a social contract. This ancient philosophy was developed by early Enlightenment philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacque Rousseau. A social contract posits that to live together, people must agree to live peacefully, respect one another’s rights, and […]
אָז יָשִׁיר־מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַיהֹוָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַיהֹוָה כִּי־גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם׃ (שמות טו:א) Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to יהוה. They said: I will sing to יהוה, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea. (Exodus 15:1) This week […]
