Like Chanukah, Purim, which we will be celebrating on Sunday, celebrates triumph and salvation, yet Purim and Chanukah feel very different. On Chanukah we focus on the victory—really, the far aftermath of the victory —the lighting of candles and celebration of the rededication of the Temple. We do not read about the Greek threat or…

This week we celebrate the holiday of Purim.  The Torah has messages for every time and generation.  There are many lessons we can learn from Purim for our lives today.   On a theological level we can learn about the invisible hand of Providence guiding the events of history, which is perhaps why the megillah, which…

In our era the glue which used to hold families together, interconnect members of communities, and unite nations, is dissolving.  I do not believe the Coronavirus is the cause of these ailments, but these hard times hold up a mirror to us.   Worldwide catastrophes exerts pressure, testing the bonds we may have thought were…

Finding God where He is not…in our world In less than a week, on March 20th, Jews will celebrate the holiday of Purim.  Though not as well known by many as other holidays, Purim is actually considered perhaps the most important Jewish holiday.  The Midrash, a first-century Jewish commentary on the Bible, writes that in…

The leaves fall and the air turns crisp and an underlying feeling of fear and foreboding enters our neighborhoods.   Graves pop us in front yards along with skeletons and the like, bringing death out of its boundaries and into our domains.  Parents, many Jewish parents included, will encourage their children to dress up in frightful…