by Rabbi Altonaga | May 1, 2025 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Tazria, Weekly Parsha
At NASA, when an endeavour is unsuccessful, they don’t call it failure, they call it “an early attempt.” There are two sides of this coin that make it such an effective methodology. 1. Wallowing in failure never helped anyone. If you let...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Apr 18, 2025 | Passover, Pesach, Rabbi Michael Altonaga
At the beginning of Passover, we told our children: בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ … …because of this, Hashem did for me and took me out of Egypt. -Shemos 13:8 The simple reading is that this is an explanation for the...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Mar 28, 2025 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
When things don’t work out in your home, whose fault is it usually? What about when things aren’t going well at your job? In this week’s Torah portion, Pekudei, the Israelites put all their money, all of their labour, and all of their energy into building the...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Mar 13, 2025 | Elisha Guberman, Purim, Uncategorized
Purim is a time of joy, feasting, and celebration. But if we stop at the surface, we miss its deeper meaning. Purim is not just about survival—it is about identity. It is about knowing who we are, standing tall as Jews, and refusing to forget what truly matters. The...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Feb 20, 2025 | Mishpatim, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
The word “charity” does not exist in Hebrew. So what is it called when people give money to the needy? It is called “tzedaka.” This more literally translates to “righteousness.” What is the difference between charity and...
