Rabbi Guzik - A Bisl Torah

In the Torah, as the Children of Israel are liberated from Egypt, they face two different kinds of freedom: Physical freedom and spiritual freedom. Physically, no longer wearing chains around their ankles. Spiritually, no longer chained to another’s psychological terror. ...

The Torah begins its description of lighting the lamps in the Tabernacle with the word “T’tzavveh” — “you shall command” or “you shall instruct.” That opening word echoes another familiar word: mitzvah. How do we understand what it means to do a mitzvah?...

The Torah explains that the Israelites should make a sanctuary, a place where God dwells. But just a few verses earlier, the Torah teaches that the same sanctuary should be created with gifts from emotionally motivated hearts. Perhaps after revelation,...

There are mitzvot between human beings and God. There are mitzvot between human beings and each other. Both categories help refine and develop our character. But there is a third, often overlooked category of mitzvot: mitzvot between a person and...

The month of sabbatical has ended. I wrote, read, exercised, and cooked. Among the lessons gleaned during this precious time, one of the greatest was felt the very last day. While it took a good week to get used to...

Rabbi Guzik is on sabbatical. Please enjoy A Bisl Torah from our Rabbinic Intern, Moe Howard. This past Monday marked the end of what has felt like an era, as the body of slain hostage Ran Gvili was finally brought...

Rabbi Guzik is on sabbatical. Please enjoy A Bisl Torah from Rabbi Avi Taff. What does it mean to live in total and complete darkness?  This week’s Torah portion gives us a vivid image. A heavy darkness descends upon Egypt,...

Rabbi Guzik is on sabbatical. Please enjoy A Bisl Torah from our Rabbinic Intern, Moe Howard. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, addressed our Sinai Temple congregation last Shabbat. The “torrent” of antisemitic hate, he said,...

Rabbi Guzik is on sabbatical. Please enjoy A Bisl Torah from our Rabbinic Intern, Moe Howard. It’s never too early to start preparing for Passover. While the cleaning can wait, the claim at the heart of the seder is timely:...

As 2026 begins, I am officially starting a month sabbatical. While I aspire to reflect and write and plan to do so in a disciplined manner, there is also a sense of relief to feel untethered to email and social...