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Succoth 2009 – Hashem hugging us
Sukkot 2009–10–03 At the beginning of fall, at the height of harvest time, we celebrate Sukkot: Z’man Matan Simchateynu, the season of our rejoicing. The storehouses are full; we have a full new year to anticipate. We are told to go out of the solid walls of our homes and spend the coming days in…
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Parshat Ha’azinu – Shabbat Shuva (Return!) – 2009
Parshat Ha’azinu – Shabbat Shuva (Return!) September 25, 2009 Moshe Rabbeinu signs, seals and delivers G-d’s message to Am Yisrael: Give ear, oh you heavens and I will speak- hear oh earth, the words of my mouth”. With this, he comes to a finish as he is about to exit from the long drama of…
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Rosh Hashanah the concealed holiday – 2009
Rosh Hashanah the concealed holiday September 18, 2009 Our sages bring down in the tractate of Rosh Hashanah (11A) a list of events that occurred on Rosh Hashana (New Year) two of them pertain directly to Yosef. He was conceived by his mother Rachel on this day and it was on Rosh Hashana that he…
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Parashat Nitzvim – Standing Upright – 2009
Parshat Nitzavim September 11, 2009 “You stand upright this day, all of you before the Lord…” (D’varim 29 9:10) There are times to sit, times to run and times to stand. We remember Abraham running to serve his guests. “and Abraham hastened into the tent.” (Vayera 18:6,7) “and Abraham ran to the herd.” We imagine…
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Parashat Ki Tavo “When you come into the Land” 2009
Parshat Ki Tavo September 3, 2009 “V’haya Ki Tavo el Ha’aretz” – “When you come into the Land”.(Dvarim 26:1) Being that this parsha falls on the birth date of the Holy Baal Shem Tov, the father of Chassidut, and of the Alter Rebbe, I want to open a window to a Chassidic teaching pertaining to…
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Parashat Re’eh – Roots and Identity – 2009
Parshat Re’eh August 13, 2009 When a person wants to validate his identity, he delves deep into his roots, verifies the provable facts; he can even check his genealogy and examine the origins that manifested into what he is. Parshat Re’eh is the historical substantiation of Israel as a nation in the Land of Israel.…
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Tisha B’Av – The Nine Days – 2009
The Nine Days July 24, 2009 The nature of the 9th of Av and the days leading up to it can only be described as one of dread. It is a time when “exaggerated vision” comes into motion. The overstressing, overestimating, amplified by the essence of judgment on this date give it the title “catastrophic…