This week’s Torah portion includes the final three plagues and the beginning of the exodus. It also includes the instructions for the celebration of the Passover holiday and the procedure for the sacrifice of the lamb.

January 12, 2021By Sondra Oster Baras On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden will become president of the United States.  The election campaign was fierce and it took time until the results became final but now that Biden’s inauguration is only days away, the time has come for us, in Israel, to reflect on what this […]

Are we ready for redemption? This week’s portion begins with Exodus Chapter Six verse 2. G-d speaks to Moses and explains to him that He is the G-d that appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that He hears the suffering of the Children of Israel and that He will keep His promise with their forefathers […]

Join Sondra Oster Baras and Danny Ehrlich on a journey to Maale Shomron, a small community founded on historical and Biblical ruins in the heart of Samaria

This week we begin the Book of Exodus. The first portion is one of transformation – the children of Israel, the family of Jacob, become the “Hebrews” and the Children of Israel, with a national focus.

Beste vrienden, De feestdagen zijn voorbij, het nieuwe jaar is begonnen en we kijken uit naar een heel ander jaar.  Toen het jaar 2020 ten einde liep, waren we blij met de goedgekeurde vaccins die klaar waren om te worden gedistribueerd.  Ondanks de aarzeling van enkelen wachten miljoenen mensen over de hele wereld op hun […]

Liebe Freunde, Die Feiertage sind vorbei, das neue Jahr hat begonnen und wir freuen uns auf ein ganz anderes Jahr. Als sich das Jahr 2020 dem Ende zuneigte, waren wir begeistert, als wir erfuhren, welche Impfstoffe zugelassen und zur Verteilung bereit sind. Millionen von Menschen auf der ganzen Welt warten auf die Impfung und darauf, […]

More than 2000 years ago, the Maccabees rebelled against the Syrian Greeks and miraculously defeated them, liberating the Jews from pagan rule and re-entering the Sacred Temple in Jerusalem.  They immediately set to work, purifying the Temple and renewing the ancient services.  But when they tried to light the Menorah, they discovered that there was only enough pure olive oil to last one day. 

This week we read the final chapters of Genesis. Jacob is approaching the end of his life. We are told that he lived until the age of 147 and that he spent the last 17 years of his life in Egypt. Just before his death, he blesses his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe, and then blesses each of his sons.