CHOCHMAS NASHIM: KATONTI M’KOL HACHASADIM By: Suri Davis In this week’s torah portion, Jacob is returning from his sojourn with Lavan back to Israel, per G-d’s direction to him.  He hears that Esau, his angry brother, is approaching him with 400 men, seemingly to wage war with him and Jacob turns to G-d and prays…

:    Therefore, Zion weeps bitterly.  PARTS 1AND 2 HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL     The gematria, numerical value of 240 are the Jewish letters Mem and Resh, together, Mar, or bitter.  The plight of the 240 hostages weighs heavily on us all.   I cant help but meditate on the use of the word  MAR in…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: DEAR SARAH IMEINU: Funeral of Rose Lubin, Israel Border Police By: Suri Davis   Goodbye Mar Cheshvan, you lived up to your reputation. Welcome the month of Kislev where we celebrate the victory of a small band of Jews against the grest Greek army. May this month live up to its reputation as…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: ELAH SHBCHALL DOR V’DOR OMDIM ALEINU L’CHALOTENU By: Suri Davis     Twenty years ago, at the time of the intifada in Israel, I believe on the eve of Passover, Rav Zev Leff asked the question as to why we thank G-d for taking us out of Egypt, when He was the One…

THE TRAVESTY OF SILENCE By: Suri Davis     SHAME ON YOU!!! UJA OU RCA BDA ZOA WZO YOUNG ISRAEL AGUDATH ISRAEL YU TOURO AIPAC NORPAC   AND ALSO OUR LOCAL POLITICIANS   The Rabbis tell us that he who remains silent, it is as though he acquiesces. News correspondent after news correspondent, asks those…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM:  LECH LICHAH By: Suri Davis In the 14th chapter of Genesis, we read that Avram waged a war on behalf of Lot.  In that battle, he captured King Sodom’s people.  King Sodom offered Avram to trade the captives for possessions or war booty.  Avram refused with these words, 22/23, I swear by G-d…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: NOACH: MISGUIDED Unity By: Suri Davis   In this week’s torah portion, we see that G-d destroys the world because of evil, evil between man and his fellow man.  Last week’s torah portion, Genesis, we read how G-d created man in His image with the potential to act and be G-dlike, merciful, kind,…

Chochmas Nashim: YIZKOR: AN ESSAY By: Suri Davis   It has been a year and a half since my father, ZTL, passed away, and since I started saying Yizkor for him.  As Orthodox Jews, we are taught that the soul is eternal.  We know from the Book of Jeremiah, and Rachel’s tears upon the horizon,…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: SUKKOTH AND SIMCHAT TORAH: THE GIFT OF THE MAGI By: Suri Davis   Where are we?  We have just completed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?  At our Kol Nidre service on Yom Kippur, we ask G-d’s permission to pray with sinners/avaryanim.  All are welcome to repent.  After Yom Kippur, we are all alike,…

CHOCHMAS NASHIM: DEEP DIVE INTO FORGIVING OTHERS By: Suri Davis So much air time is dedicated to Teshuvah, man’s asking G-d and his fellow man for forgiveness, so little to the real act of forgiving others.  Maimonides discusses the three steps to asking for forgiveness, which are regretting that one has sinned, confessing to the…