As Rabbi Sacks of righteous memory observed, Moses had several oratory options on the threshold of the exodus from Egypt. Moses could have delivered a Churchill-like speech, and promise the newly emancipated nation nothing but “blood, toil, sweat and tears,” in the impending military campaigns against the Amalekites and other...
What brought about our eventual political emancipation from the shackles of dehumanization and servitude in Egypt? The answer lies with Moses. Moses was a supremely empathic being. He chose loyalty to his impoverished and subjugated biological family, over the prospect of a luxurious and pastorale existence in the despot’s (Pharaoh’s)...
Dear friends, This past week, we were blessed to virtually host the honorable David Suissa and the honorable Sam Yebri in our midst. Kudos and gratitude to our presidents Kamran & Raymond, and also – to our new Senior VP Roxy Eli, to Neda, Rita, Avi and Dan for making...
The Torah teaches us that time and again when Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh to free the Israelites from bondage, he refused. Each time the brothers demanded for their brothers and sisters to be freed, Pharaoh’s heart hardened. A new plague cursed Egypt when Pharaoh refused to comply. The plagues...
The CEO of Pfizer, is a Greek Sephardic Jew by the name of Albert Bourla. His parents are Holocaust survivors from Salonica, a port city which was decimated more than any other Jewish city during World War Two. Bourla has been relentless in pushing the company he serves to develop...
This week’s Torah portion describes Joseph’s encounter with his brothers in Egypt. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers who were jealous of his relationship with his father. In Egypt, while still captive, Joseph interpreted one of Pharaoh’s dreams about an upcoming famine. So impressed was Pharaoh...
This Shabbat, as the civil year 2020 comes to a close, we would all like to thank and salute our synagogue president, Mr. Kamran Nickfardjam, as this Shabbat is his concluding Shabbat as president. Mr. Nickfardjam, a gentle and worthy soul, has been leading our syangogue with exemplary humility, gentility...
Judaism came to the world in an age in which hereditary privilege was the way of the world. Princes were poised to inherit their fathers’ monarchical status and become kings, and slaves were doomed to remain subjugated and enslaved for perpetuity. In the Torah, as Nietzsche observes in his book...
The name of our Torah portion is “Vayeshev”, which means: “And he settled down” (התיישב). Jacob settles down in Israel after many decades of living abroad. Jacob achieved many things in his life. He spent years working on his spiritual growth, and became a great Torah scholar. Jacob also went...
Jacob loses his beloved wife Rachel in this week’s Torah portion. Rachel died young, while giving birth to her second son Benyamin. Jacob is surely devastated. Jacob’s life was replete with tragedy. He had to leave his parental home, and run for his life. He was exploited and manipulated in...
