It was the height of the intifada, and we were in the midst of a month’s reserve duty. Deep in the heart of Hebron was an Israeli lookout position, meant to spot trouble on the road below and …
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By Rabbi Binny Freedman
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8/22/18
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Our parasha, Ki Tetze, begins with the following pasuk: “If you go out to war against your enemies, and the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives” …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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8/22/18
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Americans spend about 37 billion hours a year waiting in line. Few of us enjoy the experience.
What really irks us, though, is when someone tries to push ahead in line. These “cutters” …
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By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
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8/22/18
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When Bergen-Belsen was liberated on April 15, 1945, the sight that greeted the British soldiers was hellish, even by concentration camp standards. In a desperate attempt to bury the dead before the …
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By Rabbi Binny Freedman
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7/25/18
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In Shemot 19:12, in anticipation of Matan Torah, Moshe told the people, “‘Set a boundary around [the mountain], and tell them to be careful not to climb the mountain, or [even] to touch its edge. …
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By Rabbi Avi Billet
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7/25/18
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Shabbat Nachamu’s haftarah is in many ways the most longed-awaited haftarah of the entire year.
Until now, the Three Weeks and Tisha B’Av have forced us to focus upon the seemingly endless …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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7/25/18
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Someone has suffered the loss of a loved one. We visit the mourner’s home during shiva to offer words of consolation. Upon leaving, a Sephardic custom is to say “Min hashamayim tenuchamu,” may …
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By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
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7/25/18
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Why were our Temples in ancient Jerusalem destroyed? Jewish tradition offers answers. The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE by the Babylonians, because of the sins of the people of Israel. The …
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By Rabbi Marc Angel
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7/18/18
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In the first mishnah of Pirkei Avot, our Sages teach that the Torah was given to us by Hashem along with the Oral Law: “Moshe received the Torah at Sinai, transmitted it to Yehoshua, who did in …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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7/18/18
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In his effort to transmit a lasting imprint on the generation entering the Promised Land, Moshe reminds them of some of the events that defined their nationhood. Among these was the episode of the …
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By Rabbi Avi Billet
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7/18/18
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