Parashat Shemot 5780 by Meir Sendor Rabbi Yosi in the Gemara Hagigah (12b) says: Woe to people who see but don’t know what they are seeing, who stand but don’t know what they are standing on. The earth, on what…
Rise Up
Parashat Vayigash 5780 by Meir Sendor As this week’s parashah opens, Yehudah steps up to Yosef, who he thinks is a powerful, antagonistic Egyptian noble, to defend his youngest brother Binyamin against a false charge of theft. The situation seems…
Crossroads
Parashat Vayeshav 5780 by Meir Sendor At the heart of this week’s parashah is a strange encounter that seems like a minor and unnecessary detail in the narrative, yet turns out to be pivotal. Yosef is sent by his father…
All In
Parashat Hayye Sarah 5780 by Meir Sendor This week our eldest daughter and granddaughter were visiting Israel – our granddaughter is checking out study programs for next year. She also happens to be interested in engineering, so we visited Zomet,…
Moving on Up
Parashat Lekh Lekha 5780 The tension in the Middle East keeps ratcheting up, and the multiple threats against Israel are compounded by our chaotic political situation – the unresolved election that has left our government in limbo for months, with…
Eternal Return of the New
Parashat Bereshit 5780 by Meir Sendor I joined some friends this past week to celebrate the combined Yom Tov of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah at the Beit HaKnesset HaTzaddik HaLavan – the Synagogue of the White Tzaddik, also known…
Waterworks
Chol HaMoed Sukkot 5780 Meir Sendor Israel’s second round of elections remains inconclusive, as Knesset members continue to wrangle over whether and how to form a unity government. Most Israelis I speak with, from a wide range of political persuasions,…
How Are You Doing?
Yom Kippur 5780 by Meir Sendor We’ve been very impressed with the Blake Street Kehillah of Melbourne, and the Melbourne Jewish community in general. We’ve found the members to be warm and caring, with a sincere modesty, a strong Jewish…
Opportunity Knocks
Shabbat Shuvah, Parashat Vayelekh 5780 by Meir Sendor In Melbourne the other day, we offered to take a walk with one of our grandchildren and do a little pre-Yom Tov shopping on the way. When we suggested a direction to…
In Living Color
Parashat Nitzavim 5779 by Meir Sendor This is the third time we’ve visited Melbourne, Australia, and we continue to be impressed by the friendly and sensibly relaxed lifestyle of this far outpost of the Jewish world. We also find the…
