As we approach the raucous holiday celebration of Purim this month, we must ask ourselves a rather sobering question: why are we commanded to observe the holiday by drinking to excess? We know, of …
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d'Var Torah
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2/28/19
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A group of 20 boys from the Providence Hebrew Day School in grades four through eight traveled to Montreal for a convention. The trip was arranged and chaperoned by students of the New England Rabbinical College. The convention was to celebrate …
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d'Var Torah
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3/13/14
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When I became a rabbi, I knew that I would be giving advice on how to build a sukkah someday, but I never imagined that it would be at the local church!
It turns out that many Christians …
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d'Var Torah
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10/13/16
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Come, my children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. …
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d'Var Torah
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4/23/15
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In both last week’s Torah portion, Shemot, and this week’s Torah portion, Va’era, God instructs Moses to go to Pharaoh and free the Israelite people from Egyptian bondage. Moses is afraid that Pharaoh won’t listen to him, and so …
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d'Var Torah
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1/16/15
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The Shabbat in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuvah (The Sabbath of Repentance or Return). Falling in between these two most holy days, this Shabbat, and all the days in between, are our time to focus on the task …
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d'Var Torah
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9/29/14
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We all know that the Hebrew Bible was written a long time ago. We assume that many of the Bible’s teachings were intended for a different political and social reality than ours. …
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d'Var Torah
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9/1/16
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A recent article in “Jewish Action,” the magazine of the Orthodox Union, bemoaned the fact that the sermon has become less important in the life of the synagogue. Just a few months ago, in a front-page article, the Wall Street Journal explored …
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d'Var Torah
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1/3/14
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Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a man decided to take a hike through some hills.
He had planned a 25-mile hike. When he reached the 24-mile mark, he got very tired and wished a car would come …
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d'Var Torah
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12/3/20
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This week has begun a new year for us, we are now observing Aseret Yemei Teshuvah – the 10 days of Teshuvah – and the Torah teaches us to remember the lesson of life. God commands us to “choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19) …
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d'Var Torah
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9/17/15
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