Parshat Toldot The First Kiss in the Torah!

This week we will read about the first kiss mentioned in the Torah. Do you know who kissed whom? You may be surprised by the answer! And what can we learn about nurturing strong relationships in our families, with our children, from this parasha? How can we develop close, loving relationships, and avoid the pitfalls that our patriarchs and matriarchs encountered? Please watch this week's video here, and come to services when we will discuss this further!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who Is the Stranger? Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18)

Image
Who Is the Stranger ? Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18)  Shabbat Parashat Mishpatim: 25 Shevat 5778  כ"ה בשבט תשע״ח "You shall not wrong or oppress the stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 22:20) כ   וְגֵר לֹא-תוֹנֶה, וְלֹא תִלְחָצֶנּוּ:  כִּי-גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם, בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.  (שמות כב:כ) Ger  (or Stranger ) is the  Hebrew term used by the  Torah in reference to what we might today term the " O ther "  living amongst us .  We often speak about celebrating diversity, pluralism and embracing people who are different from us, but how do our actions reflect our lofty ideals?  In this week's Torah portion, we are commanded not to wrong or oppress the stranger; the rationale for the commandment is quite clear -- empathy: you were strangers in the Land of Egypt and know what it feels like to be the stranger/other! How strongly does the Torah feel about...
Read more

From Anxiety and Fear to Joy and Song ....... Parashat B'shalach Exodus 13:17-17:16 11 Shevat 5778

Image
🎵🎵🎵 From Anxiety and Fear to Joy and Song  🙈   👸🙊😰😀 ---Rabbi Yonatan Sadoff--- Song of the Sea We all find ourselves in fear-provoking or anxiety-inducing situations from time to time or, for some, even daily. I t is no wonder, as t here are so many stresses and pressures in our lives. We are concerned about our own health and the health of our loved ones; we have fear in connection with financial matters (paying bills, sending our kids to university); the work place can invoke all kinds of fears; there's a fear of heights, of small spaces, of water, of wind and you can fill in your favorite fear... We can try to control all of these external situations. For example, if one has a fear of flying, then he can take a bus, train or boat -- but then other anxiety-provoking situations seem to pop up in their place. In short, the problem is the fear and anxiety within and not the external situation. Fear, worry and anxiety will probably not disappear from ou...
Read more

Shabbat Parah! Good-bye Useless Guilt!

Image
Holy Cow!  It's Shabbat Parah! Ridding Ourselves of Useless Guilt Parshiot: Shemot,  Vayakhel/Pekudei Maftir: (Bamidbar/Numbers 19 (1-22) Haftarah: Ezekiel 36 (16-38) (16-36 for Sefardim) Do you suffer from pangs of guilt or shame? Do even really old memories bog you down and leave you feeling guilty or ashamed? What can you do about it? First, we all need to realize that nursing our "regrets" and being stuck in a place of guilt or shame stands in our way of serving our holy purpose in this world and that untreated guilt or shame continually works to extinguish the holy spark in our neshama (soul). You probably think that Rabbi Yonatan forgot what time of year this is, sounds like a homily for Yom Kippur! But don't forget that according to the Torah, the first month of the year (Rosh Hashanah) is only about a week away! It is what we now call the Hebrew month of Nissan, the month of Passover, the month of Spring (in Israel) and a time of new beginn...
Read more