Parashat Ki Tetze can be quite overwhelming to study! Why? Well, it contains an incredible amount of Mitzvot. A simple reading of this Sidra will leave you puzzled at first. How do you connect some of the different commandments that it contains? Is there a logic in the way in which all of these different Mitzvot are laid out through out this week’s Torah Portion? Hardly!

Instead of trying to put the puzzle of Ki Tetze together, I would much rather bring your attention to Judaism as a whole. One of the most important and absolute truths (I don’t use this term often or lightly) about Judaism is that it is not merely a religion. Judaism is a way of life, and that is what makes us so different from all other different religions in the world. (more…)

Click here to find a write-up of Monday’s event in the Las Vegas Sun.

Monday September 15, 2008. Doors open at 10:45 AM.

Dear Friends,

Very often during this time of the year, I find myself thinking about my grandparents. I do so because Rosh Hashana brings with it memories of distant places far away — not only in the physical sense but also in a very profound spiritual way.

I think of where we came from. I remember the reality that we faced as a people in so many different lands throughout our history and of the sacrifice of those who got to the shores of our great nation seeking a new life. There are blessings that we must be thankful for that we often take for granted, one of those such blessings is democracy and freedom! When Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur leave us this New Year, we will find our nation immersed in an absolute exercise in democracy, which is the result of freedom and liberty. (more…)

I wanted to write about this experience for quite some time, but for some reason or another I have not had a chance to do it. Every time I travel to a new country where I haven’t been before, I first search to see if there are any Kosher restaurants to be visited!

This past summer while on vacation in Costa Rica, I made one of the most amazing Kosher discoveries in recent memory — at least in my own recent memory. There is a Kosher Burger King in San Jose, Costa Rica! Who knew? (more…)

Most of us know the story from The Tanach where Elijah strives to “understand” God’s presence and effect in the world. Elijah looks carefully at what happens around him to see where God is and what God is trying to say to him. Elijah looks at a fire consuming a bush but can’t find God in the fire. He listens to a great noise but can’t find God in the noise, and he feels a powerful wind but he can’t find God in the wind.

He finally finds God speaking to him in a “still small voice!” — just like the author of Unetaneh Tokef (one of the most powerful and beautiful prayers in our High Holy Day liturgy) wants us to visualize God’s power. Not in the midst of a great show of force, rather in the silence and the stillness of a small voice! Kol D’mama Daka! (more…)