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Parashat Ma-asei 2014/5774 (Triennial 1): Do the Righteous Atone for the Sins of Israel? The Jerusalem Talmud (Masekhet Yoma 1:1) teaches us that the deaths of Miriam (Numbers 20:1) and Aaron (Deuteronomy 10:6) (among others) prove that the deaths of righteous people shall atone for the sins of Israel. Yet, a separate mentioning of the death of Aaron (Numbers 33-38-39) in this week’s Torah portion of Ma-asei seems to prove otherwise since after his death, the Canaanites attacked Israel, as if to show that the death of a righteous person leaves a vacuum of leadership. So how do the rabbis […]
Read MoreShare your ideas to fill our calendar for the next 18 months! Due date is Friday, July 18th. The only requirements for these ideas are… 1) Naming the person responsible for overseeing and implementing the idea (preferably the one who is sharing the idea) — This is NOT a collection of brainstorming ideas. This IS a collection of the ideas that individually and collectively we take responsibility for implementing. 2) When should the idea take place — This can be… a specific date for an event/program (e.g. Sept 17th for a Concert in the Park) a specific time of year for an event/program […]
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*Note: This message is longer than usual Dear Hevreh, I do not think Facebook is a great source for news. Not only is it hard to find posts posted not less than a week ago, but more importantly the posts I am able to read is not a representative sample of the news that’s available for me to read. On one level this is my fault because though I may try, my circle of friends and colleagues is not broad enough to include all of the viewpoints I might need to hear. (That being said, is it realistic to work […]
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Dear Hevreh, Today I had the privilege of traveling to Washington Heights in NYC to attend the bris of my cousin’s newborn son. It’s always enjoyable to be a part of a simhah and see the joyous faces of my cousin, his wife, and the new grandparents. But it was the reaction from my grandparents who were welcoming their second great grandchild into the family that really made this day special. Their happiness, their joy at being able to reach this occasion of having multiple great-grandchildren was palpable. It reinforced for me the notion that as we get older we become more appreciative of every moment […]
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Parashat Sh’lah L’kha: The Religious Value of Doubting What You See and Desire In this week’s Torah portion we read the stories of twelve leaders of Israel who are commanded to “spy” (la-tur) the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:2). Yet at the end of the Torah portion, the root t-u-r that was used earlier for the positive command “to spy” is used here as the negative command for the Israelites to “not follow (v’lo taturu) what they feel in their hearts and what they see with their eyes (Numbers 15:39). What can we learn from the juxtaposition of different meanings […]
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Parashat Ma-asei 2014/5774 (Triennial 1): Do the Righteous Atone for the Sins of Israel? The View More
JEWISH CURRENT EVENTS -- Et tu Presbyterians? // View More
JOKE OF THE WEEK -- Essence of Tradition (June 8-14, 2014) // View More
BLAST FROM THE PAST -- Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz's Installation as Rabbi of Beth Mordecai // View More
RABBI'S PUBLIC JOURNAL -- Follow Rabbi Saks' rabbinic journey as he leads Beth Mordecai to become an active View More
Dear Hevreh, One of the joys of being in Perth Amboy is living near the Raritan Bay. Years View More
RABBI SAKS' WEEKLY ONLINE PARASHAH CLASS -- Watch the Latest Episode Here... Take a "Torah" lunch View More
Check out some teachings by Rabbi Saks from this year's count of the Omer! To download a copy of the omer View More
Video of the 2013 Perth Amboy Rubber Duck Race... View More
Enjoy these fabulous pictures from the 1st Annual Rubber Duck Race to benefit Congregation Beth Mordecai and the Raritan Bay View More
Enjoy the latest edition of Around the Torah! Rabbi Saks will be joining the crew for the December edition... View More
View Pictures of our beautiful Jewish Home for the Soul... View More
(7/17/14), You know that saying that “it’s hard to see the forest through the trees?” I used to think it simply meant being unable to see the big picture when Read more
