בס”ד Parashat Nitzavim 5781 – Rosh HaShanah 5782 The process of Teshuvah is the Torah version of depth psychology, encouraging us to probe the conscious, semi-conscious and unconscious dimensions of our minds to understand the motives for our behavior, and…
Smoke and Mirrors
בס”ד Parashat Ki Teze 5781 This week a massive fire devastated the forests of the mountains just west of Jerusalem. As of this moment, Wednesday evening, it has been brought under control, though it’s not yet fully extinguished. The fire…
My Brothers’ and Sisters’ Guardian
בס”ד Parashat Shoftim 5781 Meir Sendor With new strains of the pandemic surging here, and all around the world, the government, trying to avoid a full lockdown, is calling for a sense of responsibility from all citizens: to get vaccinated;…
Land of the Living
בסײד Parashat Ekev 5781 Meir Sendor Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk made Aliyah with three hundred Hasidim in 1777, first to Tzfat and finally settling in Tiveria. He was considered the foremost student of the Maggid of Mezritch, with extraordinary…
Matchmaker, Matchmaker
בס”ד Parashat Va’etchanan, Shabbat Nachamu 5781 by Meir Sendor This Shabbat is also Tu B’Av, the fifteenth of the month Menachem Av. Following the mournful period that just concluded with Tisha B’Av, in contrast, Tu B’Av is one of the…
Out of Place
The Experience of Contemplative Prayer Prayer is one of our most important spiritual instruments. Tefillah is just talking to God – but how do we know when we are really communicating with God, Who is one, infinite, eternal but hidden? We…
Higher Criticism
בס”ד Parashat Matot – Mas’ei 5781 Rabbi Meir Sendor (יב) תהלים פרק צד אַשְׁרֵ֤י׀ הַגֶּ֣בֶר אֲשֶׁר־תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ יָּ֑-הּ וּֽמִתּוֹרָתְךָ֥ תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ: Assured is the person You chastise, God, and from Your Torah You teach him (Ps. 94:12) Many years back we…
Mirror, Mirror
בס”ד Parashat Balak 5781 Meir Sendor The Gemara Sanhedrin (67b) brings an incident between Rabbi Hanina and a sorceress who tried to harm him: ההיא איתתא דהות קא מהדרא למשקל עפרא מתותי כרעיה דרבי חנינא. אמר לה: אי מסתייעת –…
The Whole Truth
בס”ד Parashat Korach 5781 Rabbi Meir Sendor Israel’s political system is going through dangerous convulsions at the moment, with some alarming similarities to the recent elections in the United States and to the toxic cancel culture that continues to plague…
Upstart Nation
Parashat Shelach – 5781 Meir Sendor This week’s parashah has special meaning for us. It was the parashah we missed when we made Aliyah five years ago. The week we landed in Israel, the Shabbat Torah reading in the Diaspora…
