Nov 2nd, 2009
by rabbifink.
Prayer is something so basic to all faiths and religions. Jewish ideas of prayer are decidedly different from other cultures. It is very important to learn about the Jewish approach to prayer.
I began the class by announcing that this was a topic I longed to discuss for a very long time. I finally felt that the time was right.
We asked all the basic questions about prayer. We asked some advanced questions about prayer.
Using ideas from Rabbi Chaim Volozhin and others we pieced together a rational approach to prayer that made sense to us.
It was a very exciting class with outstanding participation and a very alert listening audience.
I really recommend giving this class a listen.
All audio classes are available by clicking podcasts on the top of this page. Or just click here.
You can also subscribe to all classes in iTunes by clicking here.
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Aug 6th, 2009
by rabbifink.
I have not been to a lot of funerals in my life. I have been blessed.
Yesterday evening my family celebrated Sheva Brachos for a cousin in my parents home. It was a joyous occasion.
Immediately following its conclusion, I walked the 200 feet from my parent’s home to the neighborhood shul. At about 11:00 PM a very moving funeral began.
The juxtaposition of these two events and the nature of the deceased brought tremendous emotion. What follows is an attempt to do those feelings justice in writing.
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Jul 30th, 2009
by rabbifink.
A few years ago I was a campus Rabbi for the Jewish Awareness Movement (I even made the video on their home page) at USC. One of my primary responsibilities was to lead large groups of Jewish college students on inspiring trips to Israel.
Of course, the personal inspiration for me, was very often, greater than the inspiration for some of the students.
One episode has inspired me since the moment it occurred and it is directly related to today’s Tisha B’Av fast.
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Jun 24th, 2009
by rabbifink.
I have had so many conversations about the issue posed today on ParshaBlog.
A couple weeks ago the Chinuch Roundtable in the Yated dealt with this as well. We have become the Segulah Generation. We look for shortcuts and magic to avoid the effort involved in Personal Growth.
In short Messilas Yesharim > Segulahs. But Segulahs tempt us with their instant gratification, no effort results.
I urge everyone to read the article on ParshaBlog. (more…)
Apr 8th, 2009
by rabbifink.
Once every 28 years the Jewish people give thanks for the sun. Why once every 28 years? Because the sun returns to the exact spot in the horizon once every 28 years. This is what we celebrate when we make the blessing once every 28 years.
You can read all about it in the LA Times. I am even quoted in the article! My first time in the LA Times. Thanks to Duke Helfand for putting such a great article together.
Today Jews all of the world made the blessing for the sun.
You can read about a lot of these celebrations and see their photos here.
One of the last places in the continental United States to make this blessing was the Pacific Jewish Center. (more…)
Jan 22nd, 2009
by rabbifink.
Yes. It is true. The Moment of Silence in Public Schools in Illinois is unconstitutional. Let’s take a moment of silence to remember the moment of silence.
A total of 18 states have similar statutes in their legislation giving students a moment of silence or prayer during school time.
In 1969 the Illinois legislature passed the following act:
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Jan 4th, 2009
by rabbifink.
The Amazing iPhone Siddur (iTunes link – will open iTunes) has impressed me from day 1. I was in my Camp Regesh office on Tisha B’Av talking to my friend / colleague Mo Kiss. I had just got my iPhone and he tells me about a friend of ours who does web development who had just finished coding a siddur for the iPhone. The application is impressive with the full range of Tefillos for all nuschaos and all the brachos you could ever need. The siddur knows when to add special sections for special days like Rosh Chodesh and the Torah reading for Moday and Thursday is automatically adjusted to the day’s reading. Additional it uses the built in GPS to find the nearest Minyan as well as all the pertinent zmanim such as sunrise, sunset, candle lighting times and havdala times. All these features are great and I purchased the application for these basic features. I use it and recommend it to friends. It is nothing short of ingenious.
What prompted this post is the latest feature the have added. There is now a section for each user to add their own “misheberach” list (prayer for sick people) and it pops into your iPhone siddur at the appropriate spots. This is a great addition on its own but the most beautiful thing that has been added is the fact that this list can be shared with all the other iPhone siddur users. This means that if you allow your list to be public then anyone with the application can also pray for the people on your list and you can pray for anyone on their lists. That is amazing. Now misheberach lists can be shared effortlessly across the world! We can all pray for complete strangers who are sick using their full Jewish name. What a tremendous service and idea this is! That is worth a blog post! I must say that this idea is incredible and I hope it is used across the board. Anyone who has an iPhone or iPod Touch should pay the $10 for the application and use it. Especially the misheberach list feature…
