Rabbi Guzik - A Bisl Torah

I recently heard that any given space should hold the potential to evoke memory. Our environs might spark emotion, connecting us to a past experience or perhaps, a moment in our collective history.

Summer nights seem to last forever. The air thick with heat, ice cream stores packed with customers and a desire to be present with others a little bit longer. There may be a tendency to look towards September. The anticipation...

Our children are spending a good part of their summer at Camp Ramah. While we know the inner workings of camp, we cannot help but check the camp photo sites multiple times a day. In conversations with close friends (also with camper children), we remind ourselves, “They’re fine! We’re fine!” And yet, we all habitually check the mailbox (snail and email) to see if there is communication from our kids, knowing full and well that there probably won’t be anything if we just checked five minutes ago.

In the fictional book The Measure by Nikki Erlick, the world turns upside down with a single occurrence. Outside each home is a box containing a unique string to be matched with the people within the household. Accompanying the string is a message, “The measure of your life lies within.” Some strings are longer, others shorter. The measurement of the string foretells whether you will live longer or spend less physical time on earth.

When I stood under the chuppah with my husband, I chose the following verses to share with him:

I had the blessing of addressing our Sinai Akiba Academy 8th grade graduates, and this is the story and message I shared:

The Torah is often compared to “a tree of life.” As we sing when we return to the Torah to the ark, “It is a tree of life for those that hold fast to it.” What is the essence of the analogy? What is a tree of life?

The Torah introduces us to the idea of not defrauding another person. Leviticus 25:17 teaches, “Do not cheat one another, but fear your God.”

The omer is not the most widely celebrated mitzvah. However, with patience, grace, and intention, the omer holds potential to be a soul-stirring experience.

Sinai Temple Religious School educator Elaine Seltzer shared the story of how her parents met: