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What made Caleb different?

So whatever situation you are facing today, know that your God is bigger than any giant you are facing, any mountain standing in front of you. I have often heard it said: “Don’t talk to God about how big your mountain is; talk to your mountain about how big your God is.” So I have to ask myself, what made Caleb different? Why didn’t he go with the majority? Why did he see the situation differently than the others?

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2017 CFOIC Tour in Hebron

In Memory of my Father: Joseph Oster זצ״ל

My father was a committed Jew and very active in the Jewish community of Cleveland before moving to Israel more than a decade ago. When we were children, he supported the local Bnei Akiva religious Zionist youth group, ensuring that his children and all our friends had quality activities and meaningful Jewish experiences. He was active in the synagogue, the Jewish school, the Jewish federation. He loved Israel and was always there, ready to help, whenever Israel faced a crisis.

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Losing a Loved One

Death is a natural part of life – everyone will experience the loss of a loved one and will grieve in a personal and profound way. But every culture and faith has created their own ways to help deal with the grief and the loss. Judaism has a unique set of customs surrounding death, burial and mourning that reflect a profound wisdom with regard to human needs as well as a theology of the everlasting.

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Shabbat Succot

This week we celebrate one of my favorite holidays… Succot, the Feast of Tabernacles. It is quite remarkable that the Torah readings discuss sacrifices brought to the Temple thousands of years ago.

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Celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, as it is known in Hebrew, has begun to resonate among Christians in recent years. Thousands of Christians celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem each year in fulfillment of Zachariah 14:16. How has this holiday been celebrated by Jews since Biblical times and what is it about this holiday that is so meaningful to Christians?

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Rosh HaShanah (Genesis 21 – 22)

I find the Rosh HaShanah selections special and never fail to feel a thrill and a sense of awe as we read them each year. On the first day, we read the story of the birth of Isaac, beginning with the words, “And G-d visited Sarah as he had said” (Genesis 21:1).

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