“Go Ask G-d” by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine Following the Ten Commandments in last week’s portion, the Torah proceeds to introduce the mitzvos. “These are the laws that you shall place before them.” In many cases, the laws are clear. We simply study the laws and do our best to observe them. But, in the course more »
Yours, Forever by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Revelation at Sinai was accompanied by many awe inspiring sounds and sights. Among the sounds was the sound of the Shofar. Rashi tells us that it was the shofar of the ram that replaced Yitzchok at the Akeida. Asks the Ramban, “But the ram at the Akeida was more »
Unconditional Love by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Exodus from Egypt was a noteworthy event. Yet, four days after the Exodus the Egyptians decided to chase after the Jews. In yet another dramatic experience G-d dried the Red Sea and led the Jewish people through to safety. When the Egyptians entered the waterbed G-d returned the more »
Into Uncharted Waters by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Jewish people were on the go. The long-awaited time of the Exodus had finally come. But, it couldn’t have been easy. The goal was to bring the Jewish people to a state of being a princely and G-dly people. This would be no small accomplishment. They had more »
Our Teacher Moshe by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The dramatic moments leading up to the Exodus had arrived. Finally, the mighty Egyptian empire would be judged for its crimes. Suddenly, the Torah’s momentum in describing the events slows, and the Torah pauses to describe Moshe’s lineage. An entire section of verses is devoted to describing his more »
With a Twinkle in Your Eye by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine Perhaps the greatest gift that Yakov bequeathed to his family is the gift of group dynamics. In the quest to achieve greatness in Torah and mitzvos, Yakov’s expectation was that not everyone will excel in everything. Instead, as a team, we will partner to success. more »
Do You Know How To Clap? by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine Clapping is a skill that is useful throughout life. As children we clap with delight. As adults we clap to express admiration for a job well done. But clapping comes in a most personal form as well. Clapping is the joining of two dimensions that more »
Discovering Love by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The campaign to raise donations for the Mishkan was a remarkable success. Even after the goals were reached people continued to offer more, until Moshe finally announced to stop. Such was the great motivation that people had to give. Interestingly, when the Torah was given at Sinai, Jewish tradition more »
What is a Mitzvah? by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The story of the golden calf is a story that seemed to be paved with good intentions. Like so many disasters in the history of mankind, the rationale seemed so logical. When Moshe ascended the mountain and did not return on the date that the Jews expected more »
Are you a Pronoun? by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine This week’s Parsha is unique in that the name of Moshe cannot be found. This is unique because from the time that Moshe was introduced to us in Parshas Shimos until Chumash Devorim when Moshe will review the Torah, there is no Parsha totally missing his name, more »