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Good Morning 11-9-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

On the last school day before Halloween, we had costume day. Of course, being a parochial school meant there still needed to be rules regarding appropriateness. It actually turned out pretty good. One of our counselors wore a pink flamingo blow-up situation. Two young men came into the office at the beginning of the day dressed head to toe as the Men in Black replete with black ties and sunglasses. One boy wore a brown hooded robe and looked remarkably like Obi Wan Kenobi. Another was a Milwaukee Brewers baseball player — a perfectly timely costume. Most of the teachers … Continue reading Good Morning 11-9-26

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Good Morning 11-8-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

There are some of the most vile things being said about Jews and the state of Israel today. One of the worst is Hasan Piker whose outrageous comments came to the forefront during the run up to the midterm elections. He has called Orthodox Jews “inbred” and declared that any American Jew who publicly identifies with or supports Israel is inviting violence against themselves. He describes Israel as the “Jewish ISIS. He says that Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack was justified. Then there is the belief by Piker and far too many uneducated, misinformed, or ignorant people that Israel is … Continue reading Good Morning 11-8-26

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Good Morning 11-6-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

The great sage and teacher Rabbi Akiva laughed at what we might consider the most inappropriate things. When the people heard the clamor of Roman legions coming through Jerusalem to destroy the Temple, Rabbi Akiva laughed. Given that the destruction of Jerusalem was an extraordinary tragedy with millions of lives lost and which unleashed a 2,000 year torrent of crusades, pogroms, jihads, and a holocaust, it seems that only an insane person would laugh. It was arguably one of the worst things to happen to the Jewish people. The sages asked him why he laughed. He turned the question on … Continue reading Good Morning 11-6-26

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Good Morning 11-5-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, shares the following story: “On 11 August 2017, the world’s oldest man passed away, just a month short of his 114th birthday – making him one of the ten longest-lived men since modern record-keeping began. If you knew nothing else about him than this, you would be justified in thinking that he had led a peaceful life, spared of fear, grief and danger. The actual truth is the opposite. The man in question was Yisrael Kristal, Holocaust survivor. Born in Poland in 1903, he survived four years in the Lodz ghetto, and was … Continue reading Good Morning 11-5-26

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Good Morning 11-4-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Who doesn’t love a good love story? Boy meets girl. The relationship falters in the face of some huge obstacle. Boy and girl reunite and live happily ever after. That’s how “Cinderella” works out. Sleeping Beauty is awakened by a kiss from her Prince Charming. Even Belle of “Beauty and the Beast” manages to overcome her revulsion of the monstrous beast, and her love turns him into a handsome prince. Movies used to portray love stories as well. I haven’t been to a theatre in years so I’m not really sure if the rom-com is still that popular. I like … Continue reading Good Morning 11-4-26

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Good Morning 11-3-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Apparently, the dating scene has gotten pretty rough. There seems to be an extraordinary number of young women — beautiful young women — online complaining about how men don’t hit on them anymore. One said that she made eye contact with one guy seventeen times, smiling in the most fetching way she could, and he didn’t make a move. Others straight up claim that men are insecure because women are now living independently and doing just fine without them. One gal went on a date with a guy and proceeded to tell him how much she made, how expensive her … Continue reading Good Morning 11-3-26

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Good Morning 11-2-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

We have all been torn by indecision. We equivocate and vacillate, wondering what is the right thing to do. Noah seemed to have it easy. God spoke directly to him. Despite that, would you have had the stamina and the courage to build that boat in your backyard with the neighbors sneering at you? And when the time came, would you have loaded up that boat and shut the door while the waters rose and the people outside were pounding on the side of it begging to be let in? Same thing with Abraham. God told him to “Lech lecha” … Continue reading Good Morning 11-2-26

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Good Morning 11-1-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

When my mother died in 2013, it nearly broke my father. He and my sisters were there on her last night at home as Mom lay on her bed in agony, but hating the taste of the morphine swabs given to “take the edge off.” Dad lay on the bed next to her, sobbing with grief and unable to assist in anything that might cause Mom even an ounce more of pain. The promise Dad made to Mom was that they would not spend a single night apart no matter how difficult it might be. He would not put her … Continue reading Good Morning 11-1-26

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Good Morning 10-30-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Where was Sarah? We just read about the Binding of Isaac and Sarah isn’t mentioned once. Where was she? Up until this point, she was involved in nearly all the big decisions. Abraham obviously told her they were to “lech lecha,” go forth, and she did. She went with Abraham to Egypt when there was a famine and told Pharaoh’s courtiers they were brother and sister. Same song, second verse with the King of Gerar. God protected her. When no baby came, despite all the promises from God, she was the one who suggested Hagar be their surrogate. Abraham gave … Continue reading Good Morning 10-30-26

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Good Morning 10-29-26

I Am My Father's Daughter

Tzvi Freeman asks a question in his Chabad.org column that is quite pertinent to this week’s parashah. He asks what is the difference between fanaticism and faith? We have plenty of fanatics in the world today. We have an entire set of folks who believe that if they can strap a bomb onto themselves and kill as many infidels as possible, with a focus on Jews, they will be rewarded in heaven. In fact, the Palestinian Authority will pay their family if they die in such fanatical efforts. While the official word is that they stopped their “pay-for-slay” policy last … Continue reading Good Morning 10-29-26