Do you remember a time when you acted in a way that seemed outside the realm of your normal behavior? A time that might have shocked your system because it seemed so unlike your personality? I’ll give you some examples.
On Monday, February 22nd, I woke with a tremendous sense of foreboding and dread. That was the day when I finally understood that Donald Trump had a very strong chance of becoming the next president of the United States. Up until that point, like so many others, I underestimated his candidacy, thought it was a bit of a farce, and couldn't imagine he would obtain the Republican nomination.
We can’t control which kids become our children’s friends, but we can teach our children what goes into creating and maintaining positive, healthy relationships. This too is Torah.
D'var from Friday, April 29th - Rabbi David Kosak. D'var from Saturday, April 30th - Rabbi Daniel Isaak. Recorded and edited by Ed Kraus.
Our first sedarim (seders) here in Portland were wonderful and each had a distinct and touching individuality. As wonderful as they were, I still inevitably think about the seders of my childhood. My grandparents crammed a horseshoe of tables into their dining room, which allowed them to magically fit more than forty people into their modest middle-class home.
How many times have you given the “two-minute warning”? As parents we count down for everything. But counting the Omer is an upward climb, reminding us that there are always new moments and milestones ahead.
Why is Passover the most celebrated home ritual? What continues to make it compelling to us, and to so many others who have adopted its messages? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes beautifully in his Passover Haggadah how we Jews live within an ancient structure of words, and how that story is itself a home for us--a home in which past, present and future are united.
