Tag God
Thoughts of Parashat Re’eh
How do you know if those you think are wicked are really wicked? Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said that there is no absolutely evil person in the world and no one who is absolutely good either (paraphrasing his famous saying which I quoted in my drasha a few weeks ago). Similarly, the
Thoughts on parashat Devarim.
Prayer is the salient expression of religious emotion and of man’s relationship with God. Presumably every religious person has asked themselves this question: how much prayer do I need in my life and does it make my connection to God stronger? There may be many answers to this
Thoughts on Parashat Yitro
In this week’s Torah portion we find the story of Moses’ father-in-law, Yitro, who after having heard about everything that God has done for Moses and the Israelites by bringing them out of Egypt decides to join Moses and the people of Israel. So he comes to the desert along with
Thoughts on Parasha Bo
It happened in the spring of 1997 or 1998. Back then I was a student at one of the technical secondary schools in Przemyśl. In the summer semester we had a so called “vocational apprenticeship”: instead of going to school, we’d spend one month in one of the local production plants. The production plant we had our apprenticeship in hired several
Thoughts on Parashat Miketz
In last week’s Torah portion we read about the dramatic events of Joseph’s life. After he was sold by his brothers to Egypt as a slave he became a servant of Pharaoh’s official – Potiphar. He made Joseph the administrator of his home, entrusting him with all his property. Soon after, Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. When he refused,
Thoughts on Parashat Vayeshev
The Torah portion for this week starts with the story of Jacob settling in Hebron with his twelve sons. His favorite son is seventeen-year-old Joseph, with whom his brothers are jealous for the preferential treatment he receives from his father. To make matters worse, Joseph relates to his brothers two of his dreams which foretell that he is destined
Thoughts on Parashat Vayetze
The Torah portion for this week starts with the story in which Jacob leaves his hometown of Beersheba and journeys to Charan, a major ancient city in Upper Mesopotamia (today’s southeastern Turkey.) On this supposedly pretty long journey he encounters a certain place and sleeps there dreaming of a ladder connecting heaven and earth with angels
Thoughts on Parashat Vayera
The Torah portion this week contains only great and famous stories, including the story of Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah, their destruction, the story of Lot and his daughters. Then we return to Abraham again, this time he is in Geraar where he tells King Abimelech that Sara, his wife, is his sister. Our portion of the Torah also includes
Thoughts on Parashat Noah
This week’s parasha contains two great narratives that are at the foundations of the Judeo-Christian civilization and have inspired people for centuries: the story of Noah and the flood as well as the story of the Tower of Babel. The beginning of the story of Noah tells us about the great corruption that permeated the earth. To quote the Torah:
God
Thoughts on Parashat Va’etchanan
At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion Moses asks the Eternal to let him enter the Promised Land. God does not cave to his pleas, the only thing He offers him in exchange is a suggestion for Moses to climb to the top of mount Pisgah, from where he will be able to take a look at the Land given to Israel (Deut 3:23-27.) This story ends in
About Rabbi Cantor Menachem Mirski, Ph.D.
Rabbi Menachem Mirski was born and raised in Poland, where he was a musician, a scholar, and active in helping revive the Jewish community in Poland. While still in Poland, he trained and worked as a hazzan, leading weekly services. He is an accomplished musician, performing in the klezmer scene in Europe and America for well over a decade. At the same time, he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland. His dissertation was on Jewish Theological Responses to the Holocaust.
Rabbi Mirski’s scholarly pursuits inspire his congregation to delve deeper into Jewish religious concepts and their faith. His passion lies in unlocking the timeless wisdom of Torah and traditional rabbinic teachings to tackle today’s cultural, philosophical, and social challenges. With his gentle and welcoming demeanor, Rabbi Mirski embodies a deep commitment to fostering a tight-knit community and nurturing genuine bonds.
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