It so happens that we had a lot of student birthdays this week and it falls near the 25th of Elul which is the birthday of the world/creation so we decided to go with a birthday theme for Shabbat. This … Read the rest
We just came across this children’s book titled “Crictor” by Tomi Ungarer, first published in 1958. It’s about an old woman in Paris who receives a surprise gift of a snake, mailed in a circular box, shipped by her son … Read the rest
This story may soon appear in national newspapers. We heard it from Rabbi Mendy and Devorah Leah Mathless who run the University Heights Chabad adjacent to Albany Medical Center and Bikur Cholim services to patients and families at this major … Read the rest
Eikev can mean “because” or “heel”. The former seems to be a simpler contextual fit, but #RashiToday (Eikev Day 1) goes with heel (as the sole interpretation), as in (fully) fulfilling “mitzvot people tend to (figuratively/attitudinally) trample … Read the rest
1st #RashiToday commentary on Vaetchanan (Day 1) has 2 commentaries on this usual (opening) title word: (1) request for a free gift (2) a form of prayer. Based on a bunch of questions, Rebbe sees them as … Read the rest
Moshe insisted his critique of their behavior be said to ALL the Jews, lest anyone non-present feel it irrelevant for them. But the critique itself was couched in allegory, indirectly referenced by locations, out of respect for … Read the rest
Many years ago, in my childhood, probably in the mid-1980’s my father (Rabbi Yisrael Rubin) told this very unusual story in our Sukkah, thanks to an indirect regards from a Sukkah guest who had recently come from Israel.
“The Nine Days” which ends with the fast day of Tisha (9th of) B’Av is a time of year that marks the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. It is a fitting time to study about it and find ways to … Read the rest
After several weeks of heavy summer rains, with destructive flooding south of us in the Hudson Valley and devastating flooding in nearby Vermont to the northeast – there was a top-of-fold front page “Times-Union” article by reporter Rick Karlin on … Read the rest
We just came across this children’s book titled “Crictor” by Tomi Ungarer, first published in 1958. It’s about an old woman in Paris who receives a surprise gift of a snake, mailed in a circular box, shipped by her son … Read the rest