Festivals
Psalms Chapter 2 – פרק ב
Why do the nations rage, and the peoples mutter a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in…
Psalms Chapter 1 – פרק א
Thilim1 Happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scorners. But whose delight is in the Torah of the Lord; and in his Torah he meditates day and night. And…
A PASSOVER LESSON
As we approach the beautiful holiday of Pesach, Passover, let us reflect on the glorious Exodus from Mitzrayim, Egypt. After the Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim, they traveled in a circuitous route in the Sinai Dessert. Pharaoh, the King of Egypt set out with his army in hot pursuit of the…
Write your own sefer zichronos diver hayamim
On Purim, we will discover in the Megillah that Achashveirosh had a Sefer Zichronos-Divrei Hayomim–a written recording of the meaningful events that had transpired for him daily. Because he had this book–he remembered that which he had (perhaps conveniently) forgotten–what Mordechai had done for him. The rest is history–for Achashveirosh…
Queen Esther – The Unhappiest Queen of Them All
Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus — he was the Ahasuerus who reigned from Hodu to Cush, one hundred twenty-seven provinces. (Esther 1:1) The Medrash asks homiletically “what brought Esther to rule over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces? And the Medrash answers ‘it is appropriate for…
The Month of Adar and The Purim Miracle
We are now in the Jewish month of Adar. This is the month in which the Purim miracle happened over two thousand years ago. The month of Adar is symbolized by fish. According to tradition, fish have a special quality as they are very fertile; producing hundreds (some species even…