Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. Whether we have ever met or not, I consider you “family”.  So I am sharing this with you. … You may have seen it on the national news. “A very serious traffic accident involving a Canadian Jewish family.  The driver swerved to avoid a deer and crashed into […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. Sunday was a nice day, but quite hot. And I was out jogging. I met a friend who said to me … “Rabbi!  How do you do it in such hot weather?” I wasn’t able to get into a philosophical discussion then. But here it is. Why do […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. … You probably heard about what happened to the British Prime Minister. He was campaigning and was videoed having an exchange with an ordinary citizen. She expressed her feelings about various issues.  And he responded. The Prime minister ended by saying how nice it was to meet her. […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. This is an incredibly emotional week in Israel. And it should be for us as well. Before celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day? We remember the precious soldiers of the IDF who fell in battle. … You may recognize the name Professor Yisrael Aumann. He’s the Israeli Jew […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. … Last Shabbat Jews all over the world read the Torah portion Kedoshim.  The Torah tells us that we need to be holy.  To live spiritual lives. It’s not surprising. After all, what’s a Bible without talking about holiness? What religion doesn’t talk about spirituality? But what is […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. Passover is around the corner! And I wanted to share one more thing about my Uncle Jack. … At the Seder we celebrate our freedom. But first we remember our suffering as a People. Our slavery in Egypt and the many enemies who have tried to destroy us. […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. This Torah Minute is about someone who has always been an important part of my life. My Uncle Jack Ratz. There was one thing about him that was unique in our family. My parents and my aunts and uncles were all born and raised in America. But Uncle […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. The holiday of Purim is behind us. And as important as the celebration of a Jewish holiday is? It’s also important that we take something with us. That are lives are somehow different. Here’s something I was thinking about on Purim. And something I hope to think about […]

    Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. Here’s a thought for the Seder. The Torah has an interesting name for the Seder night. It calls it ‘a night of anticipation for G-d’   (Exodus, 12:42).  A time that G-d was “looking forward” to. For how long? … Since the creation of the universe! Because […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. I wanted to tell you about the amazing people of Zaka. … Like the wonderful members of the IDF who spent weeks in Haiti? The volunteers of Zaka should inspire us and make us proud. (You may have seen pictures of them inHaitisaying the Shabbat prayers in their […]