Moshe Kempinski

YOM YERUSHALAYIM the holiday of miracles

celebrating YOM YERUSHALAYIM Moshe Kempinskiwww.shorashimshop.com Miracles and faith have an uneasy ongoing relationship. Faith must be engaged and be continued even in the absence of miracles. Yet our relationship with our Creator yearns for the occurrence of Divine intervention in our private and national lives. We must learn to walk a walk of faith that … Read more

Hanna Senesh ( one of the modern heroines of Israel 1921-1944)

by Judith Tydor BaumelOne of the more poignant songs included in many Holocaust memorial convocations held in Israel, is a short poem, set to music, known popularly as “Eli, Eli.” The four-line poem, actually entitled “Walking to Caesarea,” was written by one of the more mythological figures in contemporary Jewish and Israeli history, Hannah Szenes, … Read more

Living Life Purposefully:the lessons of the matza

PESACH STUDY SERIES, ShorashimMoshe Kempinskiwww.shorashimshop.com To commemorate and spiritually relive the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people are commanded by the Torah to celebrate the holiday of Pesach and are prohibited to eat or even to possess any Chametz (leaven) in their home: “During these seven days no leaven may be found in your homes. … Read more

THE SMALL ALEPH

Torah Portion VaYikra Leviticus 1:1–5:26Moshe Kempinskiwww.shorashimshop.comThe book of VaYikra ( Leviticus) begins with a mystery. The verse reads “And He called( VaYikra) to Moses, and HaShem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying, (Leviticus 1:1). The word VaYikra (and He called) ends with the letter “Aleph “that is shrunken in size. Our sages … Read more

Vayikra ;To Beckon

Torah for the Portion of Vayikra, Leviticus 1:1–5:26:Moshe Kempinskiwww.shorashimshop.comThe book of Vayikra (Leviticus) is all about coming close in our relationship with Hashem. That is the source of the Hebrew word for the sacrifices (korbanot) described so extensively in this book of Vayikra. That word, Korban, is rooted in another Hebrew word KAROV, describing closeness. … Read more