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Parashat Vayechi: A Reflection on Life and Legacy
This week, in Parashat Vayechi, we encounter something particularly striking: Our third patriarch, Jacob, departs from this world, and...
Jan 10


Parashat Miketz: Finding Light Even in the Deepest Pit
This Parasha represents a pivotal moment in the narrative of the Torah. Two prominent figures, Yehuda and Yosef, come face to face. This...
Jan 3


Parashat Miketz: Finding Light Even in the Deepest Pit
Parshat Miketz invites us to reflect on the human ability to discover light amid darkness and build hope even in the most challenging...
Dec 27, 2024


Parashat Vayeshev: Seeking the patterns from our parents
As parents, we often forget that our choices, our ways of being, our decisions—in short, our example—leave a lasting imprint on the minds...
Dec 20, 2024


Parashat Vayishlach: How Do We Reconnect with Others in the Face of Hatred and Pain?
How do we set aside past mistakes and work together with those who have hurt us? Parshat Vayishlach speaks to us fundamentally about...
Dec 13, 2024


Parashat Vayetze: Was Yaacov the Best Choice?
Last week in Parashat Toldot, we asked why Isaac? Why was Isaac the second patriarch? Today, we ask the same question for Jacob. Why...
Dec 6, 2024


Parashat Chayei Sarah: Resilience for Peace
Parshat Chayei Sarah begins with the story of Sarah's death and ends with the death of the one who is considered the founding father of...
Nov 24, 2024


Parashat Vayera: Our Responsibility for the Future
This week’s parasha, Vayera, carries a powerful theme of continuity. It speaks explicitly about our role as a link in the chain, urging...
Nov 15, 2024


Parashat Lech Lecha: To Grow Up to The Heavens
Lech Lecha Go forth from your land, from the place of your birth, from your father’s home to the land I will show you. I will give this...
Nov 8, 2024


Parashat Noach: A Need for a Change
The two predominant stories in this week’s parashah, the well-known story of Noah and the equally famous tale of the Tower of Babel,...
Nov 1, 2024


Sukkot: Working Each Day to be Closer to the Lord
Sukkot, unlike the rest of the pilgrimage festivals, does not commemorate any specific historical event. On Sukkot, we rather celebrate...
Oct 17, 2024


Yom Kippur: A Meaningful Fast, a Significant Life Change
It was the time between Musaf and Mincha on Yom Kippur, and young Daniel Shapiro went to see his Rabbi. "Rabbi Pollak, you must help me....
Oct 14, 2024


Rosh Hashanah: Time for Great Decisions
Gathering once again in this beautiful Sanctuary, in this Beit Kneset, a house of assembly for so many years and a synagogue that has...
Oct 3, 2024


Parashat Nitzavim: We Were All There
On a flight to Buenos Aires, I once met a man who hugged me as if we had known each other our whole lives. I looked at him, and he...
Sep 27, 2024


Parashat Ki Tavo: The Value of Gratitude
A wealthy man left his office at the end of the day, as he usually did, and encountered a panhandler asking for alms. Â "Five dollars in...
Sep 20, 2024


Parashat Ki Tetze: Our Holy Camp
It is said that we should read the Torah trying to find some kind of connection with our daily lives, so that it becomes relevant and...
Sep 13, 2024


Parashat Shoftim: To Search for Justice or To Be Afraid of Our Reality
There are passages in the Torah that are very clear and hardly need to be interpreted in the light of our times. It should be enough to...
Sep 5, 2024


Parashat Re'eh: A Time for a Deep Self Reflection
Next Monday evening, Tuesday and Wednesday is Rosh Chodesh – the new moon. Now, the moon begins to wax again. Being in tune with the...
Aug 30, 2024


Parashat Ekev: To Forget and Forgive or to Remember Forever?
In our weekly parashah, Ekev, there are many precepts and commandments that Moses conveys to the people before leaving them beyond the...
Aug 23, 2024


Parashat Vaetchanan: A Living Human Tapestry
"Ushmartem va'asitem ki hi chokhmatchem uvinatchem le'einei kol ha'amim asher yishme'un et kol hachukim ha'ele." "We shall keep and do,...
Aug 16, 2024
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