Category: Lekh Lekha
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Lekh Lekha 5786: There Are No Magical Horses
The Baal Shem Tov, the almost mythological – but actually historic – founder of the Hasidic movement in 18th century Ukraine owned magical horses. Story after story speaks of his exploits and adventures. He would climb…
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Lekh Lekha 5785: “The Age of Chaos, the Age of Torah, the Age of Mashiach”
“The owl of Minerva flies only at dusk.” This famous observation of Hegel, the great philosopher of history, reminds us that clarity is only possible when the sun sets and we can look back at what…
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Lekh Lekha 5784: “And You Shall Be a Blessing”
I never get as much done “after the hagim” as I hope to. There are always too many deferred plans and meetings and tasks to accomplish when the holiday season comes to an end. I am…
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Lekh Lekha 5779: “What’s in a Name?”
On Thursday afternoon a delegation of DePaul University undergraduates came to visit the shul. They are brought here each year by their professor as a field trip for a course they are taking on Chicago’s Jewish community. They…
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Lekh Lekha 5778: “The Source of Faith is Faith Alone”
We used to tell visitors that the only kosher restaurant in Princeton was our kitchen. As such, we developed a tradition of hosting the graduating seniors and their parents for a BBQ dinner the evening prior to graduation.…
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Lekh Lekha 5775: “To a Land That I Will Show You”
Without question, the best job in all of Jewish folklore was the job of being the wagon driver of the Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hassidic movement, was a…
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld 