Rabbi Avi Billet
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Sukkot/Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah 5769 By Rabbi Avi Billet Issue of Oct. 17, 2008 There are few things in life that can elicit a collective gasp from everyone in a room. A real … more
By Rabbi Avi Billet Issue of Jan. 30, 2009 / 5 Shevat 5769 The Torah is an amazing book. You can read and reread over and over, and each time you find something new: a nuance, a tidbit, … more
As the Torah depicts the early travels of the Israelites, small details from famous stops are recalled. “They crossed the Red Sea toward the desert. They then traveled for three days … more
At the very beginning of his instructions about the construction of the Mishkan, Moshe says to the people regarding their terumah (donations), “Take from yourselves terumah to G-d, all those … more
Please forgive my sharing with you a letter I wrote to myself. It was important to write it, following the lesson of the Chasam Sofer (see below), so that the message would come across and not go right out the other ear. Dear Me, In the seventh chapter of the Laws of Teshuvah (Repentance), Maimonides reminds us that even not-so-obvious “sins” require a repentance of some kind. more
Yosef is sworn to bury Yaakov in the land of Canaan at the very beginning of the Torah portion (47:29-30). After he blesses his sons and gives them his final messages, Yaakov instructs all of his … more
The tragic story of a fire in Brooklyn coming on the ten year anniversary of a similar story in Teaneck has left the greater Jewish community reeling. We mourn with these families, and wish for a … more
T wo things dominated the news last week: Charlottesville, and the solar eclipse that crossed the United States, with the umbra spanning 16 states. Each of these stories delivered a different … more
My wife and I first lived in Queens and there we befriended a couple — the husband worked for the district attorney. One Shabbos he told us about a “Yom Kippur moment” he … more
The battle is waged against Amalek, and as it finishes, we are told that “Yehoshua weakened Amalek and his people with the sword." The Torah’s word for weakened is vayachalosh, but its translation is not so clear. more
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