The Online Synagogue As Unique As You Are
Poor Korach! There, I said it—after years of dumping on the guy, I am trying to see some good in him. No, not for the obvious reasons; not for his confronting Moses—overworked, underappreciated Moses—and declaring, in apparently reasonable words, “You take too much upon yourselves, Moses and Aaron; for the entire community of Israel is [...]
Here is the famous disparity, the results of the mission which Moses sent into the Land of Israel. He chooses twelve spies, each one a prince of his tribe, and gives them a mission: to spy out the Land, to see if the inhabitants dwell in walled cities or open ones; whether they are mighty [...]
I turn to this week’s Torah portion, the first in the Book of Numbers, Sefer BaMidbar, literally, “In the Wilderness.” It is a relief, after the dry, priest-and-purity legislation of Vayikra/Leviticus, to find some narrative leavening the endless Torah law. God commands Moses to number the people, and here, my hackles rise: census-counting is never [...]
Joseph continues his cat-and-mouse game with his puzzled brothers, who cannot connect this austere, distant, kohl-eyed stranger with their frightened, seventeen-year-old stripling brother whom they sold into slavery so many years ago. He accuses them of spying, theft, and other capital crimes against the Imperial Kingdom of Egypt; he warns them that Benjamin, their aged [...]
*These prayers are only suggestions and are based upon traditional Jewish prayers.* Upon Arising in the Morning I gratefully thank You, G-d for You have returned my soul within me with compassion. Declaration of G-d‘s Oneness G-d is the One and Only. Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity. Psalm 100 [...]
It is forbidden for Noachides to celebrate Shabbat in the manner of a Jew. It is permissible for Noachides to light a candle in honor of the Seventh Day that was given to Adam and Noah and recite a blessing thanking G-d for creation and acknowledging that G-d rested on the seventh day. It is [...]
I WANT TO BELIEVE…REALLY, I DO by Jay Fisher First, a joke. Yes, it is strange but true – a joke may appear to be the most appropriate anecdote to start this piece. An old man was alone in his house by the river during a torrential downpour. A fireman came to his house and [...]
Introduction Ever since science has attempted to determine the age of the universe there has been a fierce intellectual battle between the forces of science and creationism. I tend to believe that the two perspectives don’t have to conflict, especially so fiercely. Today, there are several genuine approaches which can reconcile the two accounts of [...]
Most people basically believe there are only three major movements in the U.S. today: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. The truth is there are many established and fledgling movements growing all around the world. The differences between Jewish movements today is not so much a matter of theology, rather more a matter of how literally the [...]
I am just starting to get the hang of reading science fiction. I like to live a very fact based life and find that only some of this genre is appealing. I can not quite grasp the world of fantasy. I bring this up because of two reasons. First Patrick and Michael are awful keen [...]
