Contemporary humanity is marked by its relentless assertion “I’ve got to be me.”  So secure are we that individual self-expression is the highest possible ideal, that we often assume our own propriety as a matter of course.  If someone won’t do as we say, if there is a conflict between us and someone else, then the presumption is that they are in the wrong.  If our own urges conflict with the communal interest, we assert our individual drive above the needs of the community. Read more...

Have you ever noticed yourself counting the time leading up to an important moment in your life – the years before a Bar mitzvah or golden celebration, the months before a new baby is born, the weeks before a wedding or graduation, or even the days before a special birthday?  How natural it is that we count time as we wait, eager with anticipation, excitement, and expectation that the milestone we are about to reach will be an important and meaningful one.  Who will be there, what will we wear, how will we spend the time, what will we do afterwards - as the clock clicks on, our an Read more...

One of the greatest 'mitzvot' in the Torah, the very first command given to humanity, is that of bearing children. "Be fruitful and multiply" is the necessary underpinning of any Jewish community, since without renewed Jewish people, there can be no Torah, nor any Judaism either.   Read more...