The Rabbi on the Beach at the Shul on The Beach
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.
The raison-d’être of maaseh braisheis and the essential tachlis of Klal Yisrael is defined in parshas Yisro with the experience of Matan Torah. No other event in world history more profoundly impacted the world for eternity. (more…)
A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.
As Yaakov Avinu prepares for his final farewell he tells Yosef Hatzaddik of the circumstances surrounding the death of his mother, Rachel Imeinu . He expresses regret for her not being buried in Ma’aras Hamachpeila like the rest of the imahos. He explains that he had to bury her on the way to Bais Lechem not simply due to an immediate need for rapid interment. But more importantly, as the Navi tells us, kol brama nishma. . . Rachel mivakah al baneha, to secure her voice and passionate cries for Klal Yisrael in times of crisis in the future. (more…)
This short film is a “must-see”. It is part of Liberty Mutual’s “Responsibility Project”. Watch the film all the way through the very end.
Call me a sap, but this film brought tears to my eyes. Real, wet, tears.
Which left me wondering, the film is certainly nice, but why did it elicit such a strong reaction?
I think two parts of the film in particular were resonsible for my emotional response. (more…)
This was the main message of my sermon for the first Shabbos Chanukah. I hope to publish the sermon in its entirety in the coming days.
I would like to share with you an important message that strikes me as central to Chanukah and in particular to Chanukah in 2009.
In Friday’s NY Times, David Brooks writes about the Chanukah story. The article is interesting, a bit provocative and very thoughtful. I recommend reading the article in its entirety.
In his words: (more…)
Photo: Flickr/cortniedee.
A few days ago a photo was posted on Twitter by the NBA. Somehow, this photo has been on my mind since I saw it.
In sports, two teams oppose each other under the pretense that they are enemies. Their fans may even dislike one another, (see Celtics / Lakers, Yankees / Red Sox, UNC / Duke, etc,) but in the end, athletes are mostly friendly with each other. Even when athletes get upset or physical with one another, they can remain friends (see Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest).
In the real world, people have a harder time getting along. People divide along political lines, religious lines and country lines. (more…)
FB Links