Shmini: The Sound of Silence
The lights twinkled off in the distant cold night as I stood under the “Emergency Room” sign. Ambulances would rumble up from time to time...
Rabbi Rupp
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Tzav: More Animal Than Man
Let’s remember that when we sit down to a meal, the entire purpose of the universe is resting between our hands! In that split second it takes for the food to go from plate to mouth, we can repair the world one kosher sandwich at a time.
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Ki Tisa: Drawing a Line in the Sand
For the average young American ambiguity and uncertainly seem constant. For the last fifty-some years, the soldiers of pluralism, liberalism...
Tetzaveh: Something Wicked
Were they stupid? Who would start a fight against God Himself? And yet Amalek did just that...
Terumah: Building a Dream Home
The entertainment industry has made millions selling the fabulous life of the American celebrity. Many shows report on the lifestyles...
Mishpatim: Look Before You Leap…Right?
When we trust Hashem, we find that it was not wrong or foolish to blindly accept those mitzvot we had not yet learned. “Buyer Beware” does not apply here.
Yitro: Becoming One
There is no union more beautiful or intimate than that which occurred at the base of Mt. Sinai. Rabbi Wolbe describes the giving of the Torah as the greatest...
Beshalach: Counting on a Miracle
Instead of looking to Hashem to perform miracles as He did at the Yam Suf, let's change our viewpoint and see the miracles that are constantly taking place around us.
Pekudei: Vote of Confidence
All of us have the potential to accomplish something great, to be the source of clarity and light in a world filled with confusion and darkness. Our potential for greatness was established by our ancestors in the Tabernacle.
Behar-Bechukotai: Teaching the Children
When I taught at an exclusive Hebrew school in Southern California, I asked my twelfth grade class from which country were we freed on Pesach...
Vayeshev: The Cream of the Crop
Today you can buy a computer that will organize your life, do your taxes, raise your children, and make you a hot cup of coffee to boot...
Bamidbar: Learning to Receive
I’ll never forget what my friend said the first time he learned Gemara: “I just got my Masters in bioengineering, but Yeshiva is far more...
Vayigash: Sorry – the Hardest Word
Little is more absolute than human fallibility. We all make mistakes! And because making mistakes is part of life, learning to say we are sorry is also part of life.
Pinchas: Tell the Hippies
Peace. The word brings to mind the colorful shirts of the sixties and the colorful language of the anti-war protestors...
Vayechi: Where’s Your Head?
Everyone has their own approach to learning. Some prop their eyes open with toothpicks and study until the wee hours of the night...
Matot-Masei: The Truth About Superman
We live in an era void of heroes. We are disillusioned by those in power because we expect more from them than we do from others in the community. We think that only people in positions of power are responsible for the fate of society. Consequently, we push off the burden of being a hero ourselves!
Shemot: Light My Fire
Let's ask some tough questions: what can we learn from the burning bush? Why a thorn bush? Why did it burn but it was not consumed?
Balak: Tools of Success
What does it take to become great? Usually whatever we don’t have. We tell ourselves that if only we were a little smarter, taller...