Rabbi's Blog

Dear OZ family,

Last week I listed a number of Biblical verses that encapsulate the essential message of the Mitzvot of the Torah.  These verses speak of love, justice, mercy, humility, empathy and kindness. They speak of doing the right thing, living up to our Godly potential, and being consistent in pursuing...Read more...

Dear OZ family,

The 929 chapters of the Bible contain hundreds of verses that encapsulate our vision of Godliness and holiness. I paraphrase below a few choices of what appears in various sources, about that all-encompassing verse.

Dear OZ family,

Some of the events of the past weeks have left us searching for meaning and direction. The Meron and Giv’at Ze’ev tragedies in Israel, the huge sinkhole in a parking lot at Sha’arei Zedek hospital on the week of Parshas Korach, and now this horrible tragedy in Surfside, Florida. Our...Read more...

Dear friends,

We are proud to join together with our rabbinic colleagues in urging you to vote in the primaries today, June 22, 2021. 

The importance of ensuring strong government leadership in New York City for the next four years cannot be overstated, especially in light of the very difficult period the city has endured since the pandemic struck. We cannot stand on the sidelines. Every vote counts, and our...Read more...

Dear OZ family,

Today is a day on the Biblical calendar. On this day, the 5th of Tamuz 2,588 years ago the prophet, Yechezkel delivered his cryptic opening message known as “Ma’aseh Merkava”, God’s chariot, in which he describes what Jewish mysticism teaches, the metaphysical secrets of the universe....Read more...

Dear OZ family,

 Tomorrow, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, we will see a recognizable eclipse of the sun. At approximately sunrise tomorrow, the moon will begin to block up to almost 80% of the sun for a little less than an hour. Chazal (Sukkah 29A) considered this, as well as the eclipse of the moon, to be an ominous...Read more...

Dear OZ family,

Today, America observes Memorial day to remember the supreme sacrifice of her uniformed citizens in the defense of our country’s ideals. This day has a parallel in the modern Israeli calendar, as well as in the Biblical calendar. In Israel, Memorial day is the day before Independence Day, and...Read more...

Dear OZ family,

The Haftara this Shabbat connects to the second of this week’s Torah portions, which contains the harsh rebuke for disobeying the Torah, called the Tochecha. Yirmiyahu (16-17) describes his personal pain and anguish, and he relates how he finds the strength to carry on in the face of suffering....Read more...

Dear OZ family,

Last week’s Lag B’omer tragedy has demonstrated what a close family we all are. I remember a rally in Jerusalem some years back in the summer, where tens of thousands of Israelis packed practically the entire length of Rechov King George, to show solidarity with a young boy who was kidnapped. His mother spoke with a broken but resolute voice of how she felt everyone present was a member of her...Read more...

Dear OZ family,

Today, the 16th of Iyar, is the day that the Mahn began to fall in the desert 3,333 years ago (See Rashi, Shemot 16:1, and Kiddushin 38A). This bread from heaven was similar to the well from which the Israelites drank in a distinct way. They both defied the natural order of how we eat and drink....Read more...

Dear OZ family,

Parshat Kedoshim assumes something amazing about us. It commands a whole series of Mitzvot about the way we think. It commands us to love, and it commands us not to take vengeance. It commands us not to hate, and it commands us not to bear a grudge. If we were in such control of the way we feel,...Read more...

Due to a server upgrade, some emails did not receive the last message. That message is posted after today's message.

Dear OZ family,

The newsprint and media are so filled with negativity, I wanted to share with you a short beautiful story about New York.

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Dear OZ family,

The experience described in the second of this week’s Torah readings has been shared by practically everyone on the planet this past year. It’s called quarantine. The word stems from a root that refers to the number 4, or in the case of its source, the number 40. When immigrants came to the...Read more...

Dear OZ family,

The month of Iyar is one of two months that are named in early Biblical narratives. It is named “Ziv” at Melachim Aleph 6:1, in a reference to this very day, 2,853 years ago. The names we give months today appear much later in the Bible, in the post-exilic books, such as Esther, Chaggai,...Read more...

Shalom friends,
 
Today we commence our additional early Mincha/Maariv Minyan, known as 'Plag HaMincha.' This week the early Minyan will be at 6:00pm, and the Zman Minyan at 7:20pm. You can check times at www.OZNY.org or download the OZ App at www.OZNY.org/GetApp. 
 
Our sages connect our 3 daily prayers either to our 3 patriarchs or to the sacrificial service. Normative...Read more...