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An Eye on Zion: Sussya

Around 1700 years ago, a group of devout Jews settled the southern edges of Judea in the Hebron Hills. Their hearts were directed towards Jerusalem, the eternal site of the Shechinah (The Divine Presence) where the Temple once stood in all its Divine glory.

Vaetchanan (And I Beseeched) – Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11

In the English translation of this portion, it almost seems as though Moses blames the Children of Israel for his exclusion from the Land. However, when read in Hebrew, it could be understood that Moses was excluded from the Land for the sake of the Children of Israel. How can that be?

Plato and the Prophet Jeremiah: A Tisha B’Av Teaching

Tisha B’av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, commemorating the destruction of both Temples and the suffering of the Jewish people. Delving into a conversation between the philosopher Plate and the prophet Jeremiah, Shmuel explores the question of what the Temple means and why people continue to mourn its loss.

Devarim (Words) – Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22

At last, we begin Devarim (Deuteronomy), the final book of the Torah. The portion opens with a painful reminder of the sin of the spies. The sages teach that the day that the spies returned with a bad report was on the 9th of Av, also called Tisha B’Av.

Pinchas (Phinehas) – Numbers 25:10 – 30:1

Phineas boldly confronted the evil in the midst of the camp and was rewarded with a covenant of peace. The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that Phineas was prepared to sacrifice himself for his people, which was fitting as they prepared to enter the land of Israel.

Balak (Balak) – Numbers 22:2 – 25:9

The Children of Israel’s enemies choose to engage in spiritual warfare after being unable to defeat Israel with swords in Portion Balak. Yet the Prophet Balam is a huge disappointment after he is unable to fulfill his contract to curse Israel. This is a weird story!

NIEUWS UIT HET HEARTLAND –Juli 2024

                                              Beste Vriend, Terwijl ik deze brief aan u schrijf, viert het Volk van Israël de succesvolle redding van vier van de gijzelaars die al acht maanden in gevangenschap waren  door Hamas. Noa … Read more

NEUIGKEITEN AUS DEM KERNLAND-Juli 2024

                                 Liebe Freunde, Während ich diesen Brief an Sie schreibe, feiert das israelische Volk die erfolgreiche Befreiung von vier Geiseln, die acht Monate lang von der Hamas gefangen gehalten worden waren. Noa Argamani (26), Schlomi Ziv (41), Andrey Koslov (27) … Read more