We were all excited! Driving down to Ft. Lauderdale early in the morning, anticipating our cruise was making us all punchy! We pulled into the parking lot and were directed to a spot towards the back, when we saw them. Monkeys! Two adult monkeys and a baby were sitting there looking at us. At this … Continue reading Monkey Business by Diana Levine
How goodly are your tents, O Ya’akov, your dwelling places, O Yisra’el. As for me, through Your abundant kindness I will enter Your House; I will prostrate myself toward Your Holy Sanctuary in awe of You. O Hashem, I love the House where You dwell, and the place where Your glory resides. I shall prostrate … Continue reading Mah Tovu by Roni Bernstein
Mishlei (Proverbs) 31 is a fixture of our Erev Shabbat services. Placed in the midst of the songs and prayers of the evening, Eishet Ḥayil is a beautiful interlude during which men sing to their wives, declaring her before all present as precious, industrious, respected, virtuous, righteous, and praiseworthy. To truly understand all the implications … Continue reading Eishet Ḥayil – Start at the Beginning by Roni Bernstein
We’ve all seen movies about Mashiaḥ. We’ve all seen paintings depicting Mashiaḥ. The actors and images seldom look Jewish and are always classically handsome. It’s all so subtle and pervasive that we don’t realize how these images affect the way we picture Yeshua – and how we relate to Him. Think of the portrayals of … Continue reading Beyond Recognition by Roni Bernstein
Elul, the month before Tishrei, is known as the month of preparation. Our season of introspection/preparation begins after Shavuot, continues through the Three Weeks, and concludes on Yom Kippur. During Elul our preparations intensify; reading Tehillim (Psalm) 27 (l’David) is part of our daily life from Rosh Ḥodesh Elul to Shmini Atzeret. There is much … Continue reading L’David by Roni Bernstein
As we approach the month of Elul we traditionally get ready to search our hearts and to turn to our G-d. When we look at the word "Elul," it is similar to the root of the verb "search" in Aramaic. The Rabbis usually connect "Elul" to the idea of searching our hearts and preparing ourselves … Continue reading The Search by Diana Levine
It’s time. I have been called out. I have been signaled. I have been awakened. It all started that first trip out of my homeland in May 2010. The Baptist Collegiate Ministry from UWF took a group of college kids out of their comfy, climate-controlled cubicles and plopped them into the sticky, buggy jungle of … Continue reading I Have Been Awakened by Catherine Currier
