In the first Parsha we read this week, Moshe encourages the nation that if they fail in their responsibilities to the Torah, they have the choice and opportunity to improve themselves. They will be able to reconcile with G-d through His phenomenal gift of Teshuvah/repentance. Teshuva is like a magical eraser. Our leader Moshe encourages …
Category: 5784
Sep 19
Bend!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Devorim
The Portion of Ki Savo was my Bar Mitzvah Parsha. I was taught the Laining/reading and cantillations from a very patient and kind teacher, Rabbi Yaacov Pressman. Besides being an excellent elementary grade Rebbe, he had a talent to teach and prepare many boys for their Bar Mitzvah. The other week, I heard the sad …
Sep 12
Soul!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Devorim
The Torah tells us that if a couple decides to end their marriage, a document of divorce is drawn up and the husband hands it to his wife or he may appoint an agent to do so. This document is called a Get. There is an entire tractate of the Talmud that discusses the extensive …
Sep 05
Game Plan!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Devorim
We are currently in the special month of Elul. There are forty days from the beginning of Elul until Yom Kippur. We know that in Judaism, the number forty comes up often. What is the significance of these forty days? After G-d spoke to us at Mount Sinai when He delivered the Ten Commandments to …
Aug 29
Potential!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Devorim
In the Torah’s introduction to the laws of Kosher it states, “You are children of Hashem your G-d. Do not mutilate yourselves and do not make a bald patch in the middle of your head as a sign of mourning. You are a nation consecrated to Hashem your G-d. G-d has chosen you from all …
Aug 22
Nutrients!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Devorim
The Torah mentions seven species that the Land of Israel is noted for – wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. The Torah then lauds the Land of Israel for its abundance of food and that it is not lacking anything and that even its stones are iron and from its mountains copper is …
Aug 14
Listen!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Devorim
This week, we observed the fast of Tisha B’Av and mourned over the destruction of our Temples in Jerusalem. One of the more intriguing laws of the observances of Tisha B’Av is that we are restricted from studying Torah on Tisha B’Av. The reason for this is that when we study Torah, it brings us …
Aug 08
Embrace!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Devorim
The Book of Ezra captures a subtle but profound difference between the reaction of the older generation and younger generation to the rebuilt Second Temple in Jerusalem. The older people who recalled the absolute spiritual splendor of the First Temple, mourned when they saw the Second Temple, since it was spiritually lacking five of its …
Aug 01
Dance!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Bamidbar
My siblings and I, throughout our youth, spent the summers in a camp environment, because our father was the Rabbi of Camp Mogen Avraham in the Catskills. There is one memory that the tens of thousands of campers who attended CMA over the 45 years he was its Rabbi, have etched in their minds. It …
Jul 24
Direct Line!
- By Dovid Saks in 5784, Bamidbar
The Torah records the names and ages of the ten generations from Adam until Noach, and then tells us the names and ages of the ten generations from Noach until Avraham. The Torah then speaks in detail of the lives of Avraham, Yitzchok, Yaacov and the twelve tribes. It tells of their travails and that …
Jewish Heritage Connection
Rabbi Dovid Saks, Director
601 Jefferson Ave.
Scranton, PA 18510
(570) 346-1321
Shabbat Candle Lighting Time
Shabbat Times for Jan 17, 2025
,
Parshas Shemos
Candle Lighting Time: 11:42 PM
Developed by AdatoSystems.com.
Key features by Hebcal.com.
,
Parshas Shemos
Candle Lighting Time: 11:42 PM
Developed by AdatoSystems.com.
Key features by Hebcal.com.