by Rabbi Altonaga | Mar 10, 2023 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
Nothing is certain but death and taxes. If you thought this idiom applied to you but not your ancestors, look no further than this week’s Torah portion to see otherwise. This they shall give, everyone who goes through the counting: half a shekel according to the...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Mar 3, 2023 | Purim, Rabbi Michael Altonaga
Ah Purim. There is nothing quite like seeing the most respectable members of your community dressed up like ninjas and pirates. But why? I understand having a fun thing for kids to do to get them excited for the holiday, but why are Torah scholars, who work so hard to...
by Rabbi Shaps | Feb 23, 2023 | Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Weekly Parsha
Many years ago, when my wife, Lauren ran NCSY Ottawa, I recall going to programs and hearing a particular cheer. When someone would get up to speak, the kids would say “You look so beautiful, as usual, inside and outside, especially...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Feb 9, 2023 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
What is the single most important event in Jewish history? The event that changed the character of everything we carried out from that day forward? The event that gave birth to the most published book in human history? The Revelation at Sinai. It was the only time...
by Danielle Altonaga | Feb 3, 2023 | Danielle Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
“Egypt pursued them [the Israelites] and overtook them…all the horse[s] and chariots of Pharaoh”. Exodus 14:9 What an intense moment! The Israelites were seemingly trapped – caught between Pharaoh’s army and a vast sea! This was no minor army either; it was the...
by Rabbi Shaps | Jan 27, 2023 | Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Weekly Parsha
One of the most famous sections of the Hagaddah is the questions of the Four Sons. Each one has a different question and answer, yet it is not so easy to differentiate between the Wicked Son and the others. On the surface his question seems to be reasonable. Yet, we...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Jan 13, 2023 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
In the Torah portion this week, there is a line that chills me to the bone. It is an ominous literary moment that turns everything on its head and sets the stage for the horrors that are to come. The reading starts with some innocuous genealogical details and then out...
by Danielle Altonaga | Jan 4, 2023 | Danielle Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
“So he [Jacob] blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Israel bless saying ‘May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menashe…” Bereishis 48:20 Before Jacob passes away, he gives blessings to all of his children. To his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe, he...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Dec 29, 2022 | Rabbi Zischa Shaps, Weekly Parsha
A study performed by Yale University concluded that a stressful lifestyle can affect your health at the DNA level. Stress can cause negative health consequences even in someone who does not have other physical or mental health...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Dec 16, 2022 | Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
Are you struggling? Life is hard and it seems like there is always something getting between us and our goals. Always these inconvenient or even painful difficulties hounding us at every turn. Few can see that as clearly as Joseph could in this weeks Torah portion. As...
