by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman | Feb 19, 2004 | Beginner
Elul is the most propitious month of the year for the sort of personal change and growth we call “tshuvah”. Now, the term tshuvah is usually translated as either “repentance”, “penitence”, or the like, but to my mind those terms...
by Solomon Alter Halpern | Feb 19, 2004 | Beginner
A long time ago in the time of King Solomon, there was a boy named Shama who grew up on a small island in the Red Sea. His father was stationed there to signal the approach of ships to the distant mainland by flashing mirrors in the day and by fires at night. Shama...
by Nechama Stampler | Feb 19, 2004 | Beginner
When we think about 9/11 and remember last year’s events we take stock of what it means to be alive and how easy it is for evil people to destroy the joy of life. When we think about Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, we wonder what lies ahead for us and for the...
by Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf | Feb 19, 2004 | Beginner
SCENARIO #1 “I can do anything in the world I want. There is just one problem – I don’t know what I want.” Question: Is this person free? Answer: Yes, and no. Yes, she possesses the freedom to do whatever she wants. But then again no, for she...
by Rabbi Avi Shafran | Feb 19, 2004 | Beginner
The word “slave” doesn’t generally inspire positive feelings. For Jews, though, especially during the weeks after Passover, it should. To be sure, the images evoked when we think of servitude tend to be of economically or racially oppressed classes,...
