PARSHA CHUKAT: INSTANT GRATIFICATION VERSUS ETERNAL VALUES: G-D’S HOLY WARS
PARSHA CHUKAT: INSTANT GRATIFICATION VERSUS ETERNAL VALUES: G-D’S HOLY WARS By Ariella Bracha Waldinger Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, first chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, discusses the obscure reference to the “Book of G-d’s Wars” that concludes this week’s Torah portion. What are G-d’s wars? Rav Kook states they are the ideological battles of the... Continue Reading →
Parsha Shelach and Aliyah
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES; WHICH WILL IT BE? Parsha Shelach: The Consequences of the Spies' Choice By Ariella Bracha Waldinger Truth or Consequences was the first game show to air on broadcast television. It ran from the 1940's until the 1970's and was a very successful show. The contestant was asked a trivia question (an off... Continue Reading →
Swimming in the Torah Channel Called Shavuot
SWIMMING IN THE TORAH CHANNEL CALLED SHAVUOT By Ariella Bracha Waldinger Breaking waves and currents of wondrous flowing water Spread out over the expanse of the world As the currents of the Torah of Shavuot begins to descend from the heavens. Its imminence permeates the world and saturates the air, sea and land, As it... Continue Reading →
Time and Transcendence: Sivan, Shavuot and Sinai
TIME AND TRANSCENDENCE: SIVAN, SHAVUOT and SINAI By Ariella Bracha Waldinger Rosh Chodesh Rosh Chodesh (the new month) of Sivan, began this year on Thursday night, May 29th. Rosh Chodesh is considered a minor holiday and according to Jewish tradition, was the first mitzvah (commandment) given to the Jewish people in Egypt. The counting... Continue Reading →
A Parent’s Prayer
Today (Thursday) is the eve of the new month of Sivan, the most opportune day of the year for us to pray for our children. Our custom is to say the Shla's Prayer ("Shla" is the acronym for "Shnai Luchot Habrit", a classic guide to the service of Hashem). We must pray for the little lambs to become... Continue Reading →
Yom Herut Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day – Jerusalem of Gold
THE HISTORY OF THE POPULAR AND BEAUTIFUL SOUL-STIRRING SONG "JERUSALEM OF GOLD" By Ariella Bracha Waldinger The song, "Jerusalem of Gold" is not just a song but a literal piece of G-dly inspiration whose origins arose from a legend about Rabbi Akiva and his wife, Rachel. Much has been written about this incredible song whose birth... Continue Reading →
Make Your Life Count: Make Aliyah Today
PARSHA BAMIDBAR: MAKE YOUR LIFE COUNT by Ariella Bracha Waldinger "Count the heads of the congregation of Israel according to their families, according to their father’s houses, by the number of the names, every male according to the head count". (Bamidbar 1:2) Parshat Bamidbar is primarily about counting the people of Israel and recording the... Continue Reading →
Six English-Speaking Olim win Bonei Zion Award for Outstanding Contributions to Israel
Congratulations to the six olim recently honored with the 2014 Bonei Zion Award. They are: Joseph Gitler, founder of Leket, an anti-hunger and food bank non-profit, Rebbetzin Malka Bina, who founded Matan College, Yossi Abramowitz, a renewable energy entrepreneur, Dr. Jeffrey Hosdorf, Professor at Tel Aviv University and Sourasky Medical Center, Ya'akov Kirschen, a comic... Continue Reading →
Coming Into the Light of Aliyah 
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