Rabbi Moshe Kempinski

A gift of love

The only way to mend a heart seared by the shofar blast ending Yom Kippur is with joy, that of choosing an etrog for His sake.

Filling the glass

There are four components of governance and guidance in the parasha. How are we doing?

The house of Hashem

Mourning and yearning for the house built for His people and eventually for the world.

The purpose of our journey - summing up the Book of Numbers

The Torah reading during the Three Weeks is not happenstance, but the map for a nation's journey to Redemption.

Constancy and consistency

The greatest framework of spiritual life without which that life begins to wither and die is consistent, constant faithfulness to mitzvot.

The power to grow

Just as we know the inevitability of death, we also need to comprehend the redeeming power of growth and change.

Shlach: The spies and the First Fruits

Farmers bringing their First Fruits to the Temple know what the Spies did not relate to.

A wilderness called fear

Over 75,000 Israelis ignored the threats, came to Jerusalem, and sang and danced through the streets of their eternal capital .

Israel Snapshots - celebrating a gift

If the Jews of the shtetl, the ghettos and casbahs could see the beauty of this country, they would dance with joy despite the heavy price.

Metzora: The malady that brings healing

The corruption of a soul that separates one from his holy essence and his people results in the spiritual eruption of Tzaraat and exile.

Tahara (purity) and Tumah (impurity)

TAZRIAH Leviticus 12:1-13:59: These are concepts that can only be explained in picture form. They represent a state of being.

THE WISE HEART; Divine Duality

What can the blend of a Heart imbued with Wisdom mean?

Teruma: If everything is G-d's, what can we give Him?

All things belong to G-d ,yet the choices of the heart are left in the control of His creations.

Finding courage

The Torah Portion of VAYIGASH Genesis 44:18–47:27: The ability to acknowledger mistakes is a powerful but rarely found tool of spirituality.

The hidden light of Hannukah

Sparks hidden from the light of the first day of Creation reveal themselves for those who have eyes to see.

"I am searching for my brothers"

We cannot lose our sense of a common goal. We cannot raise banners of ultimate truth without co-opting all the positive powers around us.

VAYISHLACH 5782

Jacob's solitude

Jacob was neither the first nor the last of his people who would need to learn the power of solitude.

The angels of Israel

To better understand the idea of angels, it is better to see them as “the message” rather than as “the messenger”.

The lesson of the wells

Digging wells is a mirror image of uncovering G-d within our physical reality. Op-ed.

The secret of Jewish survival

Ultimately, Jewish history is fashioned and determined by those individuals who are motivated by passion and directed by faithfulness.

For we are Your people

Preparing for Yom Kippur.

Names and Rosh Hashannah

Rosh Hashannah is the day Man and Woman were given names.It was the day that all the creations of Hashem were given a name as well.

Answering the question

What question was the farmer answering as he stood before the priests ( Kohanim) with his first fruit offering?

Being children of Hashem

Being Hashem's children means we have obligations, but also that we must keep from harming ourselves.

Devarim's message for Tisha B'Av: Going forth

Most of humanity is comfortable with the world view it knows and the patterns of life it has become accustomed to. Especially today.

Reuven, Gad and the Three Weeks

Mattot-Maasei Numbers 30:2–36:13: The lure of easy gratification and achievement has dulled our yearning for Hashem’s Temple and redemption.

Chukat: Living waters

We need to stop, rest and drink deeply from living waters before continuing the arid wilderness we seem to have entered.

"The earth beneath them opened its mouth"

The earth is a symbol of lower, base objectives, as in the new coalition focused on hatred and the self-aggrandizement of its leaders.

Walking with G-d

To be a Hebrew, an Ivri, means you never walk alone.

Hodu LaHashem ki tov - yes, His mercy endures forever

At the Kotel after the flag march was cancelled: Images that became metaphors, powerful statements of faith and resolve.

Yom Yerushalayim, holiday of miracles

One needs to always remember that behind very dark cloud the sun never ceases to shine and miracles never cease..

Moed: An appointed time

In the Jewish view, dates and appointed times are gates through which time flows in a cyclical, upward spiral fashion, toward a purpose.

Six, seven and eight

All numbers have symbolism in Judaism, but eight is a higher level than 7, which in turn is higher than 6.

The small aleph

The aleph may be unusually small in the first word of the book of Leviticus, but its size symbolizes a secret power that depends on us.

Experiencing the Glory of G-d

The “Glory of G-d ” is usually seen as being synonymous with the concept of the Shechina - Presence of G-d . Yet that cannot be the case.

The priestly garments and the role of disguise

The Megillah is replete with symbols of disguise and hiding and it is not by chance that the Torah reading talks of the priest's garments..

The gaze of the Cherubim

Did the cherubim gaze at one another or at the Ark? A profound idea can be learned from the answer to that question

The start of an eternal dialogue

Parshat Mishpatim Exodus 21:1–24:18: G-d talks and G-d speaks-is there a difference? The Jews agree to do and to listen-what comes first?

Encountering the Divine

YITRO; Exodus 18:1–20:23:Revelation, fear and a pathway to Hashem paved with three instructions.

Waiting through the night

Faith and Faithfulness amidst and through a "long night".Then and now.

G-d did not need to see the blood on the doorpost

The spiritual redemption empowers the physical one/

Revealing Hashem in the world

The world must comprehend the 3 truths determined by G-d's actions in Egypt.

Blessing our children

My wife and I bless the children every Friday night with the words in this Torah reading followed by the Priestly Blessing.

Understanding Joseph's actions

What could have been a swift though painful meeting becomes a drawn out process. What was Joseph’s purpose behind these actions?

Seeing in the midst of darkness

Seeing behind the darkness, the curtains and camouflage, is a constant challenge to humanity. We see it in the Bible and we see it today..

What did Isaac see in Esau?

Isaac rightly felt that Jacob's potential needed the help of Esau's activism, but that synergy can only happen at the end of time.

To leave 'a place'

There will be time where we all need the courage to exit and leave our safe and comfortable zones to do the work that needs to be done.

Prayer and choices

Praying is a process that moves in two directions.

Abraham's weapon against uncertainty

The greatest victory over disappointment and failure is the courage to move forward. Abraham's message for today is in this week's parasha.

We are all part of the tikkun

Could others, even those seemingly much less worthy than Abraham, be part of the Divine plan of tikkun?

Every man and woman can change the world

Opinion polls are dangerous mainly due to their making us think that what we decide is insignificant. Abraham changed the world alone.

A TZOHAR; light in and light out

The word Tzohar's two possible meanings lead to the two fundamental ideas regarding man and his surroundings.

Thorns and thistles

The difference between the Hebrew letters Daled and Resh is almost indiscernable, but in two specific words, they make all the difference.

How can we be commanded to be joyful?

The holiday of Sukkot is the antidote to the fractured hearts of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Why ten days?

The ten days are not there just in case you need more time, but so that the process of Teshuva can be assimilated into our lives.

The beginning of time

When man became mortal and was faced with the prospect of death, the passage of time became an issue of great importance.

What is your special mission?

Equality is not the same as sameness. We are not expected to be the same but we must always continue to grow.

Depending on faith

The text in the Torah portion of Re’Eh begins with words that in their striking difference teaches us much of our journey in this world

"A mighty voice that did not cease"

The Torah portion that always follows the 9th of Av tells of G-d's Voice that 'did not cease'. And that is a powerful message to us.

Words that can rebuild the Temple

Vows, oaths and obligations: nothing is ever said in a void or without some sort of ramifications.