Cantor Seth Ettinger: Ani L’Dodi v’Dodi Li
Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li – Seth Ettinger
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, zl: Parashat Ki Tavo
Rabbi Sacks addresses the question “Who Am I?” He writes about God identifying Godself as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob…”. When Moses wonders who he is, God lets him know that he is essentially an Israelite, although he has spent most of his life to date as an Egyptian or a Midianite. Thus, identity is also tied to genealogy. Thus, in Ki Tavo, the Israelites are instructed to say “My father was a wandering Aramean…” when bringing the offering of first-fruits to the priest.
Rabbi Ira Rosenfeld appointed as new Rabbi and Educator at Temple Beth David of the San Gabriel Valley
Rabbi Ira Rosenfeld will be installed as Rabbi and Educator at Temple Beth David of the San Gabriel Valley on Friday, August 25, at 7:30 pm.
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila:n Sephardic Torah – Holocaust Denial and Remembering Amalek: Rabbi Moshe Malta
Deuteronomy 25:17-19 teaches “Zakhor – Remember what Amalek did to you…do not forget.” Rabbi Malka cited these verses when addressing an Israeli audience in the mid-1970’s, to warn of the start of a disturbing trend – Holocaust denial. Today Holocaust denial is prevalent on social media and in academia. We have a sacred duty to remember.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: The Limits of Love – Ki Teitse
Rabbi Sacks writes about the limitations on a father’s capacity to dictate which of his sons inherits, and how much. Inheritance laws overrule his love or preference for a particular wife or son. He discusses the various references to ahuvah and senuah in different portions, and the negative outcomes for not following the laws of inheritance.
Rabbi Adam Ruditsky: Parashat Ki Teitzei – The Prophet Isaiah: The Individual Consciousness Endures to the End
Rabbi Ruditsky discusses the nuances of “stand” and “endure”, omeyd and kayayam, and how they are used in Pirkei Avot and the mitzvoth addressed in Ki Teitzei.
Rabbi Corinne Copnick – “Miracles Are What You Make of Them”
Rabbi Corinne Copnick – “Miracles Are What You Make of Them” is available NOW on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle online versions.
Rabbi Avraham Greenstein: Matot-Masei
Rabbi Greenstein, as one of the 5 featured authors in the weekly drash a few month back, wrote about God’s seemingly irrational instruction to Moses to destroy the Midianites. Rabbi Greenstein writes that “the fact that there needs to be an explicit command to take vengeance upon the Midianites is a reflection of how exceptional it is. It is an acknowledgement that revenge is not usually a correct response to wrongdoing.”
Cantor Marcus Feldman, Cantor Orly Campbell, Benjamin Fingerhut
Please listen to a beautiful rendition of “The Prayer” by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster
Rabbi Adam Ruditsky: Parashat Shoftim The Prophet Isaiah: The Law of Social Consciousness
Rabbi Ruditsky writes about the underlying concept of the ritual that is executed when a corpse is found lying in an open area. The key theme is the acknowledgment of social responsibility, for the person who is deceased, for the perpetrator of his/her death, and for the community who was not aware of the needs of the deceased.