Abraham saved the world Noah saved himself. Although Noah was a righteous man and did whatever G-d told him to do, Noah’s silence was deafening. As far as we can know, all the years of Noah he didn’t say a word! G-d told him to build a boat – he built a boat. G-d told...
Abraham saved the world Noah saved himself. Although Noah was a righteous man and did whatever G-d told him to do, Noah’s silence was deafening. As far as we can know, all the years of Noah he didn’t say a word! G-d told him to build a boat – he built a boat. G-d told...
The rainbow symbolizes peace because it demonstrates how so many can become one. It symbolizes curse because it shows how one can be divided into so many. Noach and his family emerged from their ark and saw a rainbow. The rainbow represented a covenant of peace...
The following drasha was given at the Saranac Synagogue in Buffalo on Shabbat Vayera, 5748 (1987), and transcribed from memory by Jeffery Zucker. The Torah relates a heart-rending story. Abraham evicts Hagar and his son Ishmael from his house. He supplies them with...
Friday is my busiest day, especially since we changed the clock. Last Friday I received a call from someone who needed to talk. It was a stranger who had been recommended to me by a local therapist. I suggested some possible times for a meeting - Saturday night,...
When we think about a bris milah we immediately conjure up images of a new life, a new beginning and a fresh start. Our Parsha begins when Avrohom Avinu was ninety-nine years old. He had just had a Bris Milah. It is difficult to consider ninety-nine years old a new...
The following drasha was given at the Saranac Synagogue in Buffalo on Shabbat Lech Lecha by Rabbi Yaacov Haber, and transcribed from memory by David Sher. This weeks Torah portion describes how Abraham performed the Mitzvah of Bris Milah on himself. Our sages list...
I'm going to give you Eretz Yisroel; it will be yours and your children’s. This is what G-d said to Abraham. G-d said this to Abraham in person; Abraham didn’t have to rely on Mesorah, transmission or old texts. Hashem said it to him and Abraham heard it. Abraham’s...
The following drasha was given at the Saranac Synagogue in Buffalo on Shabbat Lech Lecha 5749 (1988), and transcribed from memory by Jeffery Zucker. in today's parsha we read about Abram's travels. He did not travel alone. Apart from his many followers, he had three...
I'm going to give you Eretz Yisroel; it will be yours and your children’s. This is what G-d said to Abraham. G-d said this to Abraham in person; Abraham didn’t have to rely on Mesorah, transmission or old texts. Hashem said it to him and Abraham heard it. Abraham’s...
Noach spent 120 years building an ark, deliberately stretching it out so that people would ask questions, hear about the oncoming world crisis and repent. For one hundred and twenty years Noach prophesied the end of the world --yet not even one single Baal Teshuvah....
Today we review the story of Abraham, the founding father of Judaism. From what we know about Avrohom Avinu we can be very proud of our roots. Avrohom was a great philosopher. Avrohom was a great teacher. Avrohom was a man of unyielding principals - ready to give up...
"Sarah was a hundred years and twenty years and seven years, these were the years of Sarah" (Bereishis 23:1). Rashi comments that from the unusual phraseology we learn that all her years were good. "Abraham was a hundred years and seventy years and five years" (ibid....
There is a story I have been selling all week. Someone came to his Rabbi with a serious problem. Yom Kippur is coming and the Mets game comes out the same time as Kol Nidrei! The Rabbi put his arm comfortingly on the shoulder of his congregant and said Marvin, what...
In the story of the Creation of the world, it is recorded that "G-d blessed the seventh day" (Gen. 2:3). How did He bless the Sabbath? According to Rashi, He blessed it with manna, by providing a double portion on Fridays, while the Israelites were in the desert. This...
In Koheles (Ecclesiastes), the book of Solomon's wisdom, there appears the statement: "ve-H' yevakesh es-nirdaf", (Eccl. 3:15), which can be translated as: "And G-d seeks out him who is pursued", or perhaps: "And G-d favors the underdog". The Midrash quotes R. Yossi...
This morning I read with interest about the funeral arrangements for Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. The longtime archbishop of Paris, a confidant of late Pope John Paul II, asked that the Kadish be recited at his funeral in front of Notre Dame this morning. It is said...
This past week six different friends of mine forwarded to me an article from the New York Times Magazine Section written by Noah Feldman. Most of them introduced the article by explaining to me how brilliant Noah is. His academic journey took him from Maimonides...
Historically it has been the division between Jews that has caused us to lose our land. Jerusalem has turned orange. It?s almost impossible to walk or drive on the streets of Yerushalayim without seeing dozens of orange ribbons tied to car mirrors, antennas,...
Just because we are acting with perseverance, courage and self-sacrifice it doesn?t mean that we are acting with nobility. Last week, while on vacation, I watched a documentary that made a huge impression on me. ?Walking In to Thin Air? is a true story about an...
It is very simple. G-d gave us a gift and we snubbed it. What you have been searching for all your life may be right in front of you, but you won?t see it unless G-d opens your eyes. You can be standing in front of your soul mate for 100 years and unless G-d opens...
You can stand next to your soul mate for 100 years and not even know it. You can stand next to the thing you are looking for all your life, but you won?t see it unless G-d opens your eyes. You can stand next to your soul mate for 100 years, and unless G-d opens your...
Beside for having a problem on your hand - you may have a godol on your hand. One of the greatest tragedies of our times is when every once in a while a young man or women makes a decision to walk away from generations of tradition, from years of education, from the...
G-d does not always do things to the way we feel they should be done. The Jewish people were ready to move. They were on their way to Eretz Yisroel. But Miriam couldn't move. Miriam became ill with Tzoraas and had to be in quarantine for seven days. Three million...
Things that we love we count. Why Hashem counts us – and how we have our own counting to do.
“Ki Savo – when you arrive in the Land”. We have arrived! God gave us a gift called Israel. He gave it to us once and because of our behavior He took it back. He gave it to us a second time and because of our mishigass He took it away. Now, He’s giving it to us for a third time! Once again – we have arrived!
As the argument continued Moshe smiled. “Today”, he said, “I see you really are a people!” (Rashi and Mosif Rashi)
Why did Moshe smile? Because today they owned the Torah they felt it was theirs. Each group felt that they deserved the Torah and couldn’t live without it. They loved the Torah and argued for it.
As we welcome in the month of Elul and we begin our preparations for a New Year, we must keep in mind our G-d given challenge. ‘Leshichno Tidrishu’, always keep searching for Jerusalem, ‘Uvoso Shama!’ and you will get there. We are leaving tomorrow!
Reflections on the 2006 Israel – Lebanon War through the lens of the Parsha parshas Ekev.
We speak of sensitivity as if it is some sort of disease. We often tell our spouses, our children or our employees to stop being so sensitive. We work on ourselves and exercise our emotions so that we should become less sensitive. We speak of sensitivity as if it is...