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...
by Rabbi Shaps | Sep 3, 2021 | Nitzavim, Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Rosh Hashana, Weekly Parsha
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” ― Yogi Berra It is the last Shabbos of the year and Rosh Hashanah is around the corner. Where are we in comparison to a year ago and where do we want to be next year at...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Aug 19, 2021 | Ki Tetze, Parasha, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
The War in Afghanistan seems to be in it’s final stretch nearly 20 years after it began. As many of its results were overturned so quickly, politicians and strategists debate each tactic that was used and discuss alternatives that never saw the light of...
by Rabbi Shaps | Aug 13, 2021 | Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Weekly Parsha
Have you looked in a mirror lately? What do you see? Have you noticed that in a mirror image your right hand seems to be on your left side, and vice-versa? How true is our perspective and are we sure that we are seeing things correctly? In this week’s Torah reading we...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jul 30, 2021 | Eikev, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
I started talking to people again recently. I suppose I never stopped talking to people digitally, and there were a few people I spoke to in person during all the lock-downs, but multiple in person conversations a day is really novel to me right now. As...
by Rabbi Shaps | Jul 29, 2021 | Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Va'eschanan, Weekly Parsha
You would think that if everyone followed the laws of the Torah, Hashem would be pleased and all would be good. Yet, the Talmud in Bava Metzia 30b teaches that Rabbi Yochanan said “Jerusalem was destroyed because people judged based on Torah Law”. The Gemara...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jul 8, 2021 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Uncategorized, Weekly Parsha
What are your priorities? It feels like there are a hundred things pulling us in different directions every day. Our boss, our parents, our friends, that guy arguing with us on Facebook… Where do we put our energy? How do we...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jun 11, 2021 | Korach, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
Mudslinging in politics is nothing new. Unfortunately, it has been going on since as long as there have been unscrupulous politicians. If you attack someone’s character, you can show that he is not fit to rule, which naturally leaves an opening for...
by Rabbi Altonaga | May 14, 2021 | Bamidbar, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
Times are tough right now. The pandemic still rages in Ontario, grinding the health system to a crawl. Unexpected tragedy occurred in Meron, leaving dozens of young healthy people dead. Rockets fly over Israel and riots march in it’s...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Apr 16, 2021 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Tazria, Weekly Parsha
At NASA, when an endeavor 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...
