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From Kansas to Tzfat: The Teshuva Story of a Musical Performer
The sun was setting in the Kansas sky, just beyond the stage. Behind me, hundreds of eager audience members were waiting for the show to begin. As I stood on the set piece – a cottage – I gazed longingly at the colorful clouds, knowing that soon, they would be replaced by stars. It was…
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The Beauty and Practicality of Rachel and Rabbi Akiva’s Story
Like many of the most powerful stories in the Torah, the story of Rachel and Akiva has become romanticized. Dramatic scenes in high school plays, center-plots for hundreds of books, specifically those for children. Terms get thrown around; ‘like water on the rock’, ‘can you be like Rachel?’, ‘you can do it. Remember the story…
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Behar: A Godly Vision
There are some decisions in life that just seem so obvious. Should we move to a warm community or an unfriendly one? Send to an excellent school or a poor one? Or even, should we buy a pretty dress or an ugly one? You may have just been thinking; well, there must be an issue…
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Freyda, Daughter of the Alter Rebbe: The Balancing Act of Salt
In the Torah, how do we understand salt? For one, salt was required alongside all sacrificial offerings at the Holy Temple. Some have used salt as an analogy for G-d’s love towards His people; just as the preservative prevents decay, G-d’s covenant preserves His love with the nation of Israel. People often enjoy adding salt…
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Losing Myself in the Crowd: My Arduous Journey Towards Orthodox Judaism
Who am I? Why am I here? These were the questions I kept asking myself throughout my religious journey, and I am still attempting to answer them to this day. For a Baal Teshuva, the journey towards Judaism can be long and hazardous. I would like to share my journey of coming closer to Judaism,…
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Mishpatim: Is There a Difference Between Honoring Father and Mother?
After Matan Torah, after witnessing Har Sinai amidst thunder and lightning, shofar blows and Hashem’s voice, awe and inspiration – we left on a spiritual high. Parshat Mishpatim concretises that spiritual high and breaks down the incredible depth and beauty of living a Torah life into laws which inform and influence our everyday interactions with…
