HEBREW TEXTS  .  HEBREW LANGUAGE  .  JUDAISM

I want to share a short, interesting story with you. It is not mine; it is from another Argentine Rabbi I know, Rabbi Guido Cohen. Here it is:

During the last week, what went well for you?

To rephrase the question: Two weeks ago, what did you expect to happen last week?

Which question received a better response, the first one or the second one?

When we listen to music, regardless of our choice or level of passion for it, we quickly learn it is not just about the musical notes. Equally crucial are the rests, which provide the cadence, give rise to the rhythm, and allow the notes to vibrate and transmit even while they are silent.

This month, we are supposed to be valuing the concept of freedom, tasting the matza during our Sedarim, our Passover dinners, remembering why our ancestors ate it on their way out of Egypt.

When we move away from the people we usually spend time with and move from a house where we were living for a while sharing our lives with neighbors, it is generally difficult for us to maintain a close bond with them while away.

“They are four days in the year that serve as the New Year, each for a different purpose: On the first of Nisan is the New Year for kings; it is from this date that the years of a king’s rule are counted.”

As I write this, some days ago Argentina became the world champion for the third time in the history of the World Cup of Football (soccer, for some).

We have known one another for more than a year now and I have never told you who I am or why I decided to be a Rabbi.

I grew up in the Bet El Community of Buenos Aires, Argentina. My family was not religious, but traditionalist. We went to Temple sometimes and gathered for the holidays; we paid our annual fee to attend Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur tefilot (services).

Is Judaism "abortionist?"

A question that may bother many. A sensitive issue that divides societies and, in American society, it seems to have suffered a setback.

When I was a child I was lucky enough to learn Hebrew and Judaism in a way that I only understood when I became an adult. The Hebrew Language was so effective and imperceptible it was getting through the pores of my skin and reached my bones.

We are going through the month of Elul and obviously we find ourselves again after a year in the same place of scrutinizing our interior, our actions during the past year, and we return to prepare ourselves to face the divine court for the burden of our actions. The good and bad, both that are tipping the balance.

In our Temple affiliation, we rarely find ourselves faced with the situation of choosing which Movement within Judaism we identify with. Normally, we go to the synagogue where our parents attended or we pick the one we feel our children will be most comfortable in because more children or school friends already belong to it.