Sermons
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A humorous email was distributed this past week that compiled a “true dictionary” for the those working in the non-profit sector. Some examples from the email: If you see a job description that says, “Looking for a self-directed individual” that really means, “We don’t have enough staff to pull off this plan, so you’ll be on your own…
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A father once sat down with the young man his daughter was planning to marry. They had not yet met and the father wished to learn more about the man who would become his son-in-law. “You are currently learning in yeshiva, what are your plans for eventually getting a job?” he asked. “God will provide.”…
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They say a lottery is a tax on those who aren’t good at math. If that’s true, then that’s a tax that I really ought to pay. Nonetheless I did not buy a lottery ticket (I’m sure I’ll find another way to pay that tax). I was, however, hoping that one of you – one…
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This past Tuesday morning, students at forty Jewish high schools across North America gathered together, using video conferencing technology, and marked the completion of the study of the entire Mishnah. A collective learning project, a siyum, of this sort is a common Jewish way to commemorate the death of a friend or relative and these high school students…
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A terrible crime takes place in this week’s parasha. Who is guilty? The crime is the kidnapping and sale of Yosef. Few crimes are as cruel and the Torah itself includes a severe punishment for one who sells another into slavery. So who is guilty of this crime. The Torah seems to engage in a sort…
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“Many of those who seek entrance into this country have little concept of our form of government. Many of them come from lands where [a dangerous ideology] had its first growth and dominates the political thought and philosophy of the people.” That quote was said by a member of the United States Senate, Chapman Revercomb,…
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David Ben Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel was a short man but a larger than life figure. In addition to an outsized role in Israel’s first governments, he was a dominant figure in Israel’s culture. He was a politician and a public intellectual. He wrote about Buddhism and about Socialism, and he wrote about…
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Consider Avraham as a very old man, a widower, following the death of his beloved wife. Had Avraham been faithful to his covenant with God? Without a doubt. He left his birthplace, his homeland, and his father’s home to follow God to an unknown land. According to the rabbis, he endured ten trials, to test his…
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In the years of hosting guests at my Shabbat and yom tov table, my greatest regret is that I never kicked anyone out of my house. Allow me to explain. I first enrolled as a student at Yeshivat Hamivtar, in Efrat, in the summer of 1998, Zman Ellul 5758. It was only there years since the assassination…
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I have a halakhic riddle. But before I ask the riddle I need to provide some background information. The year that just recently ended, 5775, was a shemita year, a Sabbatical year, when many times of agricultural labor in Eretz Yisrael are forbidden. The Torah tells us, however, that fruits and vegetables that grow on…
- Parasha
- Acharei Mot
- Acharei Mot-Kedoshim
- Baha'alotcha
- Balak
- Bamidbar
- Behar
- Behar-Behukotai
- Behukotai
- Bereishit
- Beshalach
- Bo
- Chayei Sara
- Devarim
- Eikev
- Emor
- Ha'Azinu
- Hol HaMoed Sukkot
- Hukkat
- Hukkat-Balak
- Kedoshim
- Ki Teitzei
- Ki Tissa
- Kol Nidre
- Korach
- Lekh Lekha
- Ma'asei
- Matot
- Matot Ma'asei
- Miketz
- Mishpatim
- Naso
- Nitzavim
- Nitzavim-Vayeilech
- Noach
- Pekudei
- Pinchas
- Re'eh
- Rosh Hashanah
- Shavuot
- Shekalim
- Shemot
- Shimini Atzeret
- Shlach
- Shmini
- Shoftim
- Tazria
- Tazria Metzora
- Terumah
- Tetzaveh
- Toldot
- Tzav
- Va'Etchanan
- Vaera
- Vayakhel
- Vayakhel-Pekudei
- VaYechi
- Vayeilech
- Vayera
- VaYeshev
- VaYetzei
- VaYigash
- Vayikra
- VaYishlach
- Yitro
- Yom Ha'atzmaut
- Yom Kippur
- Shavuot
- Year
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld 