Rabbi’s Blog

Granted the oil is a big deal in the Chanukah story, but do we really need all the extra calories?! And there is more to the story than oil. In fact the word Chanukah is a combination of two Hebrew words, Chanu – Ch which means they rested (chanu) on the 25th Chaf...

Although you may see Menorah’s in Public places and in front windows, the actual instruction of our Sages is that the Mezuzah is placed on the right and the Menorah on the left so that we are surrounded by Mitzvos. According to Kaballah there is something else at play...

"And [Jacob] arose during that night, and he took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, and he crossed the ford of the Jabbok [stream]." — Genesis 32:23 "But where was [Jacob's daughter] Dinah? [Jacob] put her into a chest and locked her in, so...

A few days ago, the 4 month old baby of the Chabad representatives in St. Thomas fell into the water and passed away. Mrs. Henya Federman - the mother jumped into the water to save her baby and got stuck. She is currently in critical condition and we pray...

I’m sorry in advance if this email sounds self-serving or too raw.  To quote today’s youth, “it’s my truth” or “this is my process”.To quote my brother's email:" This has been a tough week.  In one 24 hour period, I responded to the following situations; a young...

When the news reached Sarah that Isaac was almost sacrificed, the shock of his near loss, coupled with the relief of his life being spared, was too much for her to hear, and she died. Abraham purchased the Machpelah Cave and the surrounding field in Hebron from...

The lottery has ballooned to over 1.5 billion dollars (with a B)! Many people, even those who usually do not play the lottery, are buying tickets. How do they expect to win? Hasn’t our financial well-being already been decided on the High Holidays?  Most...

The Torah tells us this week that the Ark was riding on the water. It actually says, the waters lifted the ark from the earth.In Chassidus, the Ark represents the relationship that we have with G-d and our purpose on this earth, the inner sanctum, the safe space.  The...

The Current Jewish Year, 5783 (2022-2023) is a Hakhel year. In connection with that, I present you with a video and article all about what this means. Throughout the coming year, our public gatherings will go under the title of Hakhel (gathering of Jews together). See...

This coming Monday evening is the holiday of Simchas Torah. We celebrate the completion of reading the entire Torah (5 books of Moses). On this holiday we celebrate by dancing with the closed Torah Scrolls. In connection with that, I bring you an interesting idea...