by Rabbi Altonaga | Sep 17, 2026 | Haazinu, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha, Yom Kippur
In this week’s Torah portion, Haazinu, Moses begins by calling out to the heavens and the earth to hear his words. On the last day of his life, in his final speech, why is Moses spending time talking to the heavens and the earth? There is a medrash that...
by Rabbi Altonaga | Aug 20, 2026 | Ki Seitzei, Rabbi Michael Altonaga, Weekly Parsha
The Torah does not usually tell us the reward for a mitzvah, so it’s eye catching when it does. In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Seitzei, one such mitzvah does appear. The mitzvah to shoo away a mother bird. כִּ֣י יִקָּרֵ֣א קַן־צִפּ֣וֹר | לְפָנֶ֡יךָ...
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...
