SHOFTIM: PURSUING JUSTICE By: Suri Davis   This week’s torah portion, discusses the judicial system. Why is justice elusive, that we are commanded to pursue/chase it?  We know that the core to any society or community is justice.  We understand why we shouldn’t bribe judges to find in our favor, but, again, why is justice…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: R’EH:  Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?   This week’s torah portion starts with the following: רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה׃ See, this day I set before you blessing and curse. The beginning of the month of Av was dismal, as it usually is, I’ll pour you a…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: EIKEV : AV INTO ELUL   By: Suri Davis   There is a grayish mauve color when children are provided with paints which they can’t help but want to mix together to see how the colors evolve from one color to another as they continue to mix.  The freedom of the mush mash. …

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: EQUALITY: THE 15TH OF AV By: Suri Davis   In last week’s lesson we discussed the juxtaposition of Moshe’s sermon to the Jews as they were about to enter Israel without his leadership, with the commemoration of the destruction of both holy temples in Jerusalem last weekend on the 9th and 10th of…

Paternistic Monopolies: Follow Up Lenore Davis  August 14, 2019 ‎ PATERNALISTIC MONOPOLIES: 5T VAAD and LOCAL YESHIVAS FOLLOW UP By: Suri Stern   It appears I touched a nerve in the community. I had restaurants sending me free platters of food, thanking me for saying what they couldn’t. I had Rabbis in Israel, Italy and Australia comment…

PATERNALISTIC MONOPOLIES: 5T VAAD and LOCAL YESHIVAS By: Suri Stern   Rumor has it that the Five Towns Vaad is not permitting the grocery stores to open before chatzot/midday on Tisha B’av.  This happened last year as well.  After decades of being  the monopoly kashrut organization in this community, have the rules of the torah…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: DEVARIM: TRANSITIONING FULL CIRCLE By: Suri Stern   In a parking lot last Friday, my car was side-swiped and bumper fell off.  I try not to see clients on Friday because my children are home from college, and I want to hang with them and prepare for Shabbos, but I had eight people…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: MATOS: CONTRACT WITH HUMANITY BY: Suri Davis   We are in the midst of the three weeks, a time we mourn the destruction of the Temple.  The temple was destroyed because there was baseless hatred among the Jews.  In this week’s torah portion, there is a discussion about fulfilling commitments, that which we…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM:  PINCHAS:  THE U.S. WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM AND THE DAUGHTERS OF TZLAFCHAD By: Suri Stern   In this week’s torah portion, the daughters of Tzlafchad approach Moshe and request that they inherit from their father, since their father had no son.  The torah specifies that names of the daughters in the Parshah, and we…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: BALAK: DESTRUCTIVE ANGER By: Suri Davis   In this week’s torah portion, Balak, the Moab king was frightened at the growing Jewish population, so he asked Balaam to curse the Jews.  Balaam said he needed some time to answer, and in that time Balaam asked G-d what he should do, and G-d told…