Tikun Israel

In the midst of the month of ELUL, the month preceding the High Holy Days; it is during this month that the voice of the Jewish People – Kol Am Yisrael – is heard. Our People’s voice is heard every morning of the month after Shacharit/morning services – through the blasting of the Shofar –…

There are three essential mitzvoth of Passover: the removal of Chametz (made from one of five types of grains – wheat, barley, spelt, rye, & oats – mixed with water), eating Matzah, and telling the story of our ancestor’s liberation.  Of the three mitzvoth, ‘telling the story of our ancestor’s liberation’, may seem unnecessary –…

The Jewish Lens announced today the hiring of Rabbi Leor J. Sinai as its first Executive Director. The Jewish Lens is a non-profit educational organization that uses the photography of Zion Ozeri as a stimulus for exploring Jewish values, identity, and tradition. The ground-breaking curriculum program has been taught in more than 100 educational institutions…

Tradition teaches us that Moses ascended onto Mount Sinai on the first of Elul, forty days later the People of Israel received the Torah. Throughout these forty days the Israelites’ faith was tested, their level of spiritual connectivity and faith weakened by their unanswered cries to Moses and to God – in a way mirroring…

Send yourself forth. A year ago this week’s Torah portion Sh’lach L’cha (Numbers 13:1) was my younger son, Cahlev Aharon’s Brit Milah. I dedicate these words to him and all of our children as they begin to crawl, walk, and at the blink of an eye – send themselves forth. The Torah portion describes the…

Today, Jews from New York to Jerusalem and across the world, have their eye on the next few hours. It is around this time of the year that we go through old items, consider opportunities, conduct some spring cleaning around the house, and look forward to the changing of the seasons. Pesach, Passover, is on…

The vision I have of the rabbinate has grown out my diverse upbringing and exposure to Jewish life in the United States and Israel. Judaism and Israel have always played a role in my life and influenced my decision making process. As a child I attended a Hebrew Day school and was involved in other…