Parshat Vaera   – 2021 Mumbling Moshe vs. Pharaoh – ruler of Egypt. Who are you placing your bet on? There is something about the collision of evil and good, the sparks that come out when they grind into each other that always make for the best stories. It’s a refining fight. As people are serving…

2021 My son in law Alex had a plan through the back way of Itamar here, east, avoiding traffic, to go to the Dead Sea for the day. On Waze it said it would take an hour and twenty minutes. It really didn’t take me much of convincing to come. I love to explore and…

Vayigash –  2021 This week had us driving through the Jerusalem hills. Entranced at the view of fresh forests and fields moist from the rain, Latrun stood ornamented with old relics of army vehicles brick red and rusted, stories in themselves. Keepsakes, they told of a time, a developing thriller that solidified the direction Israel…

Parshat Miketz  – 2021 Back in the mid-eighties the mountain ridge we had come to here in Israel’s heartland gave us a sense of being on top of the world. Plunked unto the bald peak like a bird of prey letting go of us, we stood looking out to view and seemed to holler into…

  Dear Rabbi & Rebbetzin / Moshe and Leah Goldsmith,   It’s my humble pleasure and honor to be a part of Eretz Yisrael, especially during these unfathomable times, when all the Jews from around the world should unite and be as one, just like any other times for that matter. I thank HaShem for being…

Leah’s Blog – Vayishlach – The Pit and Pendulum – November 2021 A few years ago a movie crew came out here to do a film about Itamar. (It should be coming out soon) One of the segments had us one midnight in Shechem at the tomb of Yosef Hatzaddik. They weren’t ready for the…

In the wake of a series of terror attacks that left our community aching and needing help, we were plunged into the wide world to tell our story to whoever was willing to listen. Brokenhearted but not broken, we took the heart of Israel to people literally all over. As we revved up our engagements…

Toldot – the Ultimate Oxymoron The root was planted with Abraham, a strong foundation with deep yearning to dig in even deeper. Something in Abraham awakened the kernel there that began to grow and sprout. As with every building, this is the foundational base, strong and solid. He passed every test and never wavered when…