by Rabbi Altonaga | Jul 23, 2026 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Tisha B'Av, Weekly Parsha
Over Tisha B’Av, we read kinnos. Tragic poetry to help get us in the mindset of the day. One such kinnah that really struck me related to the death of Zechariah ben Yohayada. Zechariah was a prophet in the First Temple period. He rebuked...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jun 18, 2026 | Korach, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
This week’s Torah portion discusses the Rebellion of Korach. Much ink is spilled over the arguments brought by Korach and his followers and how Moshe dealt with the confrontation. Off the page though, hidden away in a Sanhedrin 109b, our Sages reveal how...
by Rabbi Altonaga | May 20, 2026 | Naso, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
A man and his wife got into a fight. The woman asked her husband to take out the trash. He refused. He said, that it was beneath his dignity to take out the garbage. She said that it was the mans job to take out the trash and that she was busy...
by Rabbi Altonaga | May 14, 2026 | Bamidbar, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic. – Joseph Stalin A poignant and chilling statement (especially given the source). More so because it strikes so true. Most people barely notice when tens of thousands die in conflicts in Sudan or...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Apr 16, 2026 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Tazria-Metzora, Weekly Parsha
This week’s Torah portion (Tazria-Metzora) gives us the mitzvah of circumcision and tells us that it should be done on the eighth day after a boy is born. We saw the idea of the eighth day being significant recently at our Passover Seders. Towards the end of the...
