Tag: Jewish unity
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When I was growing up, my family and my out-of-town cousins would always spend Pesach and the Seder at my grandparents’ home. It was tradition, but it was more than that. One house. One table. One shared world of jokes and songs that belonged to all of us. We looked forward to it all year.…
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In Parshat Vayeitzei, when Yaakov arrives at the well in Charan after his dream, he sees shepherds waiting around instead of tending their flocks. He eventually rebukes them — “The day is still long… give the sheep to drink and go pasture them.” But before he says a word of criticism, the Torah highlights something…
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On Sukkot, we take the arba minim — the lulav, etrog, hadasim, and aravot, and hold them together. Each one represents a different kind of Jew. Some are full of Torah and mitzvot, some are still growing. But the mitzvah isn’t done with one — it only counts when they’re united. That’s the message of…
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Standing Together in Unity Parshat Nitzavim opens: “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem” — you are all standing here today. Every Jew, from leaders to water carriers, stood together before Hashem. Chazal teach this is arvut — kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh — we are responsible for one another. That unity is not only the opening of…
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Serving Hashem According to the Blessing Parshat Re’eh repeats a powerful theme again and again: serve Hashem according to the blessings He has given you — “asher berachecha Hashem.” Rashi explains that our offerings, our giving, our avodat Hashem must be commensurate with the prosperity and abilities Hashem has placed in our lives. This is…
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Struggling to Feel Growing up, I always had a hard time connecting to the Three Weeks, the Nine Days, and especially Tisha B’Av. The mourning. The restrictions. The heaviness. I tried to feel something — but couldn’t. Part of it was that I didn’t fully understand what we were mourning. I mean, I grew up…
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In Parshat Bamidbar, Hashem commands Moshe to organize the Jewish camp — not randomly, but with divine precision. Each tribe had a unique flag, symbolizing its identity and mission. The tribes formed four groupings around the Mishkan — the dwelling place of the Shechina. But these groupings weren’t arbitrary.They were intentional.They were complementary. For example,…
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Don’t Miss the Point These days, antisemitism is on everyone’s mind.And rightfully so. We’re worried. We’re hurting. We’re searching for answers. What should we do?More security. Better PR. Stronger hasbara.We have to fight back.We have to protect ourselves. And yes — we absolutely need to do hishtadlut.We have a responsibility to act, to defend, to…
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The Mouth That Destroys, The Mouth That Rebuilds Not long ago, we all felt it.The silence. The distance. The ache of being apart.During the Covid lockdowns, even Pesach seders were held in empty rooms. Shabbos meals with no guests.Some of us were lucky to have family.But too many were completely alone — no one to…
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Parshat Vayakhel begins with Moshe gathering kol adat Bnei Yisrael—every single Jew: men, women, and children. This wasn’t just another speech. It was a moment of unity. The Mishkan would be built through the collective effort of Am Yisrael, but before any work could begin, Moshe emphasized one crucial point: Shabbos. The connection between Shabbos…
