Vaetchanan

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is One …Deuteronomy 6:4 These are probably the most familiar Hebrew words in the entire language. We are commanded to say these words in the morning when we get up, and we are commanded to say them when we...
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This D'var Torah was delivered at Moreshet Yisrael in Jerusalem on August 16, 2008 Moses was one of the most selfless men who ever lived. Throughout his life he thought of others, not of himself. When God told him he was needed to help his long lost Jewish brethren, he set out on a...
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ואתחנן אל ידוד בעת ההוא לאמר "And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying…" At the beginning of this week's Torah reading, Vaetchanan, Moses is reminding the Jewish people how he pleaded with God, begging to be given the opportunity to come into the Promised Land – all to no avail, or...
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Judaism is a religion that has traditionally defined our relationship with God through our efforts to do God’s will by obeying His commandments.  There are 613 commandments that the Jewish people are communally obligated to fulfill – 248 positive commandments, things we are enjoined to do, like honoring our parents or giving to charity,...
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How do you recover from the worst trauma imaginable, from the loss of loved ones and the destruction of what stood at the center of your faith in God? Last Sunday we observed the holiday of Tisha b’Av, the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av. Tisha b’Av commemorates many disasters that have befallen...
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