Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 22 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, One more thing before we leave the Golden Calf. This story goes back 3300 years ago. Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the Tablets. The Ten Commandments. He saw the Golden Calf. And smashed the Tablets. The date? Seventeenth day in the Jewish month of Tamuz. According to Jewish tradition, that day was […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 19 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, Here’s one of my favorites about Shabbat. “The Children of Israel shall observe the Sabbath… between Me and them it’s a sign forever”. (Exodus, 31:16-17) The Torah calls Shabbat a sign. … Think of a large business. It’s been around for many years. Very successful. But the old generation is gone. And it’s handed […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 19 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, I assume that by now you have heard of the suicide bombing in Netanya. It’s very sad when we find ourselves saying, “Thank G-d, only two people killed”. But we do need to say it. … I wanted to share two experiences that I had today. This morning at synagogue, I noticed an elderly […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 19 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, The last Torah Minute was not totally accurate! I kept talking about the Jewish People making and worshipping a golden calf. Well, that needs to be qualified. Part of the Jewish People did. Which part? The Talmud makes it very clear. And a careful reading of the text supports it. (Exodus, 32:1-3) It was […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 19 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, Only in the Torah! I’m referring to what happens just forty days after the Revelation at Mount Sinai. You may remember the scene in the movie, “The Ten Commandments”. (But don’t forget, the Book is better than the movie!) Moshe comes down from the mountain holding the Tablets. The Ten Commandments. And what does […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 15 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, Here’s a follow up to the last Torah Minute. We saw how we can get involved in something really important? And lose sight of why we’re doing it. … It’s something that can happen to each and every one of us. Because there’s something we all get very “into”. And even if I don’t […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 15 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, The Temple in the desert was built with donations. Voluntary donations. No pressure. And no mandatory “building fund”! The response was amazing. The whole nation mobilized. Men and women brought gold, silver and other materials. … And then something amazing happened. And you may want to sit down for this! … There was too […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 15 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, The Jews were traveling through the desert. (I got the spelling right this time!) So the Temple was portable. And all the utensils had carrying poles. It was very practical. Need to move on? You insert the poles and transport them … But when it comes to the Ark? Something very interesting. “The poles […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 15 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, When the Jewish People were in the dessert they built a portable Temple. In Hebrew? The Mishkan. Among other things, there was an Ark. For the tablets of the Ten Commandments. And the Torah gives the dimensions of the Ark. “Two and a half cubits long. A cubit and a half wide. And a […]
Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 15 Jul 2012 /
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Hi, I sat down at my computer to work on today’s Torah Minute. And before I got started? I figured I would click on today’s New York Times. To see what’s happening in the world. And something caught my eyes. A carved wooden bust of Tutankhamen. A.k.a. King Tut! It was an article about a […]