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Dec 29, 2023
Parashat Veyechi: The Disruptive Nature of Family
This Shabbat, we conclude the book of Genesis– Bereshit. If we were to summarize it in a few words, we could say that its content...
Dec 27, 2023
A Matter of Survival: Tracing the Complex History of the State of Israel [Part 1]
Click here for part 2 | Click here for part 3 When we were kids, we learned about the People of Israel, the conquest of Canaan, and the...
Dec 22, 2023
Parashat Vayigash: Pain and Reconciliation
Let's talk about pain. As a people, pain is something we respect, keep current, and try not to forget. We don't cease to celebrate joys;...
Dec 15, 2023
Parashat Miketz: Finding Hope in a Dark Time
Our Parasha, Miketz, brings the stories of Joseph's success, the fulfillment of the dreams he interpreted. Joseph goes from darkness to...
Dec 8, 2023
Parashat Vayeshev: From Envy to Enlightenment
There is no doubt that envy is a feeling that generates discomfort, both in the one who feels it and in the one who receives it. It...
Dec 1, 2023
Parashat Vayishlach: Everything is Foreseen, but Choice is Possible
According to the Avot Treaty, in chapter 3, it is Rabbi Akiva who teaches us that Hakol tzafui vehareshut netuna "Everything is foreseen,...
Dec 1, 2023
Standing United for Israel in Washington DC
Once again, I must begin my article in the Temple Times with images of an event I witnessed, just as it happened with last month's and...
Nov 23, 2023
Parashat Vayetzei: Ascending Jacob's Ladder
This parasha invites us to witness a very special process: that of how a complicated, intricate, and twisted individual in their...
Nov 17, 2023
Parashat Toldot: A Way out of Violence
And this is the lineage of Isaac, son of Abraham; Abraham fathered Isaac. (Genesis 25:19) Thus begins Parashat Toldot, which will delve...
Nov 9, 2023
Parashat Chayei-Sarah: Leaving an Imprint on the Lives of Others
"They were Sarah's days..." That's how this Parasha begins, with an enigmatic start, contradicting the Parasha's name, "The Lives of...
Nov 4, 2023
Parashat Vayera: Finding the Humanity Within All of Us
Every time we reread this Torah portion, I find myself pondering a recurring question, especially in these times. I'm not a fan of...
Nov 1, 2023
Who owns the Holy Land?
Once again, vivid memories flood my mind as I write for the Temple Times. Almost beautiful memories, like those we experienced during the...
Oct 27, 2023
Parashat Lech Lecha: Finding the Strength to Thrive
Parashat Lech Lecha offers us a profound and transformative perspective. The phrase "Go from your land, from your birthplace, from your...
Oct 18, 2023
Parashat Noach: We Are Our Brother's Guardians
Parashat Noach encompasses two prominent stories; two stories that have always stayed with us in memory. The first, of course, is the...
Oct 13, 2023
Parashat Bereshit: Our Responsibility to Israel as Jews
We have always been a people with a religion and a long tradition of taking responsibility. Responsible for the world around us, for our...
Oct 9, 2023
Statement Condemning Recent Attacks Against Israel
Members of Temple Beth El of Utica strongly condemn the savage attacks carried out by extremist fanatics from the terrorist organization...
Oct 8, 2023
An important year ahead
I am writing these lines as the melodies and words of the prayers of Yamim Noraim (High Holy Days) confront our conscience with the...
Oct 5, 2023
Parashat Shemini Atzeret: Counting the Mitzvot
How many mitzvot are there? I am not referring to how many we fulfill or should fulfill, as some argue that there are mitzvot related to...
Sep 28, 2023
Parashat Shabbat Sukkot: The Tradition of Sharing Your Dwelling
It is the first night in the sukkah, and what better way to celebrate than also observing Shabbat? The book of Vayikra (Leviticus) says:...
Sep 21, 2023
Parashat Ha'azinu: We are a People of Music
A Hasidic tale recounts that when the Baal Shem Tov sensed that a calamity was approaching for his people, he would retreat to a place in...
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