Hold on Tight! by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine Golus is difficult. Literally translated, Golus means exile. But the connotation is far deeper. Golus is a state of being in which things aren’t as they are supposed to be. It is a state of distance and lack of clarity between us and Hashem. The Jewish people are more »
Jewish Conversion by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine If I were to ask you, “What was the most inspirational religious experience you have ever had?” you might respond with recollections of Kol Nidrei, or the Pesach Seder of your youth. Perhaps you would recall the experience of prayer you had in an emotionally laden moment, or the feeling more »
The Nature of Miracles by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine As the Jews approached the Land of Israel, they sent spies to find out more about the land. Forty days later, the spies returned. “The inhabitants are so strong that we cannot possibly conquer them,” the spies reported. The Jews believed that assessment and were punished. It more »
I-m-perfect Utopia by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine Following the exodus from Egypt, the Jews were provided for in the desert in a most remarkable way. Food was provided daily in the form of the Manna; drink was provided from a special fountain. Their clothes miraculously grew with them and were perpetually cleaned by the Clouds of more »
Upon Waters of Peace by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Kohein had been asked to do the unthinkable. He looked up with shock at his mentor who had given him the directive. “To erase G-d’s holy name into the water.” The Kohein waited for some clarification. Perhaps he had heard wrong or misunderstood. But, no. His more »
The 30 Day Jewish Marriage Challenge © 2021, Rabbi Mordechai Rhine ~ RMRhine@teach613.org Day 1: Resolve to say nothing negative relating to your spouse today. Day 2: Do an unexpected gesture to your spouse as an act of kindness. Day 3: Buy your spouse something that says, “I was thinking lovingly about you today.” more »
Whose Torah Is It? by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine Shavuos is a holiday that could have been predicted. It is the holiday on which Hashem gave us the Torah. From the world around us, one could have predicted the giving of the Torah as a moral guide for people. DNA, the brain, the eye, and digestion, more »
I am making mistakes as fast as I can by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Parsha of Bichukosai is one of the places that the Torah declares that there is reward for good deeds and punishment for wrongdoing. The Parsha begins, “If you go in My laws, and observe My commandments.” The commentaries wonder that the more »
Be Cause by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine Among the beloved articles in the Sanctuary was the menorah. The menorah was lit daily and represented the “Ner Tamid,” the eternal flame of the Jewish people. Interestingly, the command to donate oil to fuel the menorah is given twice, once in the Parsha of Titzaveh (Shimos 27:20), and more »
I can’t change the past… by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The loss of Ahron’s sons was a great one. It was on the inauguration day of the Mishkan, a day of celebration, that Nadav and Avihu, caught up in the spiritual potential of the day, entered the holy area of the Mishkan without authorization. As a more »