by Rabbi Altonaga | Sep 10, 2022 | Uncategorized
If you build a new house, you shall make a fence for your roof. (Devarim 22:8) This Mitzvah seems pretty straightforward. Flat roofs were common and people used their roofs in various ways. In such a case, it is an obligation to build a fence so that no one...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Aug 25, 2022 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Re'eh, Weekly Parsha
President Biden has announced a plan to reduce and, in some cases, totally forgive student loans. Now, without getting into the politics of this decision as a government policy instituted in this way, it’s worth noting, as Jews, that this very week’s Torah portion...
by Danielle Altonaga | Aug 18, 2022 | Danielle Altonaga, Eikev, Weekly Parsha
Hustle Culture – n. “Also known as burnout culture and grind culture, hustle culture refers to the mentality that one must work all day every day in pursuit of their professional goals.”Monster.com Hustle culture glorifies making work the center of one’s life....
by Rabbi Shaps | Aug 11, 2022 | Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Weekly Parsha
Your health is the most important thing. We hear and say this statement quite often. But is it really true? Why is good health so important? It sounds like a ridiculous question. Without your health, you are limited in what you can do and in your quality of life. If...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jul 29, 2022 | Mattos, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
How do you become a self made man? Is it all about personal motivation and always striving forward? Is it about having a goal that you constantly focus on? The rags to riches story captures our imagination. We want to hear stories about visionaries who have made their...
by Rabbi Shaps | Jul 21, 2022 | Prayer, Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Weekly Parsha
By my count, I have said the weekday Shemoneh Esrei prayer more than 45,000 times. That is FORTY FIVE THOUSAND TIMES. I know it by heart and can recite this very long prayer without paying attention. Therein lies the problem. I should be concentrating on the words and...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jul 8, 2022 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
Have you ever done a trust fall? It’s when you stand straight up with your eyes closed. Then while still in standing position you lean back slowly until you fall backwards. Then you trust that your friend(s) just behind you catch you before you plummet to the...
by Rabbi Shaps | Jun 30, 2022 | Korach, Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Weekly Parsha
The story is told of a man whose five year old son was constantly interrupting him as he read the newspaper. Finally, in desperation, he tore off a page of a magazine with a world map and ripped it into small pieces, telling his son not to come back until he had...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jun 17, 2022 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
A wife once asked her husband to take out the garbage. He felt that he was a very distinguished person and therefore it was below his dignity to do a menial chore like that. He said that his wife should be the one to take out the trash. His wife replied that she was...
by Rabbi Altonaga | May 25, 2022 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
I was lying down for a shabbos nap when I heard the walls of my home shaking. My wife screamed as half of our tree was ripped off by gale force winds and slammed into the street below. The neighbour’s tree was uprooted entirely and we stood wide eyed as rain...
