by Rabbi Altonaga | Dec 10, 2021 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Vayigash, Weekly Parsha
Do you know something with such conviction that no argument can dissuade you? Are you so certain that you no longer need any supporting evidence? What would you do if you suddenly encountered something that flew completely in the face of that conviction?...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Nov 19, 2021 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Vayishlach, Weekly Parsha
I had an unusual opportunity as a baal tchuva (someone who became religious later in life) that I got to pick my own Hebrew name. I chose the name Yisrael. There is a lot of depth and meaning behind this name, but the verse that introduces the name for the...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Oct 29, 2021 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
What did you do today? Did you use your time to the fullest? This week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah (the life of Sarah), begins with the mention of Sarah’s death. And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years;...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Oct 8, 2021 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting— “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Sep 10, 2021 | High Holidays, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Yom Kippur
Have you ever done something that you wish you could take back? Sometimes, only moments later you realized that you unintentionally hurt someone’s feelings or caused some other harm to yourself or others. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just...
