The prayer that asks us to consider our mortality is an urgent call to examine our lives. By Cantor Matt Axelrod If there’s one word that is closely connected with the High Holiday season, it’s teshuvah, repentance. It’s a part of the vocabulary taught to even young religious school children: looking at one’s behavior and…
Category: Ancient Paths
Aliya Parshas Netzavim / Vayeilech
Note: The Shabbos Torah Reading is divided into 7 sections. Each section is called an Aliya [literally: Go up] since for each Aliya, one person “goes up” to make a bracha [blessing] on the Torah Reading. It’s about time we stopped making excuses and took responsibility for who and what we are. It’s long overdue….
The Gospel of Q
The following translation has been committed to the public domain and may be freely copied and used, changed or unchanged, for any purpose. Q is the designation given to a hypothetical sayings source that many scholars believe was incorporated into the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. Though some notable scholars have questioned the theory, others…
You shall not despise
Ki Tetze21:10 If you go out to war against your enemy and the L-rd yourG-d delivers him into your hand, and you capture itscaptivity,If you go out to war – This [ 4‘If’] teaches us that Scripture is herespeaking of a permitted war “and you capture its captivity – to include Canaanites from outside EretzYisrael,…
Parashat Ki Tavo / פרשת כי־תבוא
Parashat Ki Tavo is the 50th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Deuteronomy 26:10 – 29:8 Summary Parshat Ki Tavo In this parashah, Moses tells the people that when they come into the “land of milk and honey” (“Ki Tavo” means “when you enter”) and have settled there, each of them…
Shining Light on Your Best Self
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Re’eh 10.3 If the Heavenly proclamation is discernible, why doesn’t anyone hear it? Genesis 1:31 (31) And God saw everything that God had everything, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. בראשית א׳:ל״א (לא) וַיַּ֤רְא אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם…
Parashat Shoftim / פרשת שופטים
When the Torah tells us two things in practically the same breath, we can be sure that they are very closely related. Yet sometimes the connection is somewhat obscure, and we are completely dependent on the guidance of the Talmud to enlighten us. In this week’s Torah reading, we are instructed to appoint judges of…
Parashat Re’eh / פרשת ראה
Parsha Summary for Parshas Reeh Note: The Shabbos Torah Reading is divided into 7 sections. Each section is called an Aliya [literally: Go up] since for each Aliya, one person “goes up” to make a bracha [blessing] on the Torah Reading. 1st and 2nd Aliyot: Moshe instructs the Chosen People to eradicate any remnant of…
Tu B’Av / טו באב
Let’s begin to understand this special day by examining a major aspect of this day as noted in the Talmud: Taanit 26b R. SIMEON B. GAMALIEL SAID: THERE NEVER WERE IN ISRAEL GREATER DAYS OF JOY THAN THE FIFTEENTH OF AB AND THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. ON THESE DAYS THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM USED TO…
The Glorious Man
Daniel 10 ►Orthodox Jewish Bible1 In the shnat shlosh of Koresh (Cyrus) melech Paras (Persia) a davar (word) was revealed unto Daniel, shmo (his name) called Beltshatzar; and emes was the davar, and of a tzava gadol (great conflict, affliction); and he understood the davar, and had binah of the vision.2 In those days I…
Nachmanides’ Disputation (1263)
Nachmanides’ Disputation (1263) By order of King James I of Aragon (Spain), Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (1194-1270), a philosopher, poet, physician, and Kabbalist, known by the acronym Ramban, author of commentaries on the Torah, Talmud, and Maimonides’ Sefer HaMitzvot, was compelled to participate in a public debate, held in the king’s presence, against the Jewish convert to Christianity, Pablo…
Parashat Eikev / פרשת עקב
Eikev, Deuteronomy 7:12 -11:25 The Big IF “If only [i.e. because] you shall hearken to these laws, safeguarding and keeping them, then Hashem your G-d will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.” (Devarim 7:12) If only you shall hearken to these laws – The Hebrew word is “Eikev” which can…
Yeshua Centered Judaism 
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