September 11th
‘Nine’ and ‘eleven,’ two numbers that have changed the present and future of the world.
It was a beautiful Tuesday morning in September. Two hijacked planes were intentionally crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and thousands of innocent people were slaughtered. This dark day brought to light a clash of civilizations that has been brewing for close to four millennia. 9/11 underlined for America and the world that there were people one this planet who would do anything to kill people unlike themselves, who would slit the throats of infidels and blow up their own babies for an evilly distorted version of a ‘god’ created in their own hateful image. It is the responsibility for God-fearing people everywhere to obliterate such evil.
Terumah: Yet Again
The world’s infrastructure is built on selfishness and leading to tragedy after tragedy. Instead, we must usher in a new era of spirituality and unity.
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Metzorah: In Search of Eden
The continued presence of both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and particularly the Euphrates, indicates the ongoing presence of the Garden of Eden in this world.
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Behar Bechukotai: Global Dimming
Present day conflict has a direct source in biblical schisms of our forefathers, and in the ongoing war between the spiritual and the material.
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Mishpatim: Shoveling the Snow
I look closer and stare at the vulnerable and gentle snowflake – and wonder what message it has brought to me this fine morning.
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Emor: How to Speak
Passionate faith can spill over into dogma and intolerance. We must be vigilant that the path of faith should be saturated with love and inspiration.
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Ki Teitzei: Nine Eleven
September 11 marks the day when this battle turned global. Now our time has come to not be afraid, but to rise to the occasion and find ways to bring on personal and global redemption.
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Eikev: A Miracle In Our Times?
Hamas and ISIS (as well as Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and other Islamic terrorist groups) have very similar objectives (obviously with their own variations).
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Living With Faith and Hope After September 11
An essay written by Rabbi Jacobson with Yom Kippur’s message of hope to the world that was shaken September 11th.
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Reeh: ISIS Beheadings and Clarity
The horrifying ISIS beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley, while Israel is entangled in its war against Hamas terror: Where should the Western world go now?
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Ki Teitzei: Childhood Innocence and Blood
Beheading of Steven Sotloff: At times like this don’t you just want to curl back up into your fetal-like childhood innocence? An essay on staying innocent in a psychotic world.
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Ki Tavo: Boys Will Be Men
Today’s war must be waged with a powerful moral vision. It is not just a defensive war against terrorist attacks; it is an offensive battle for the ambitious vision of a world that will live in peace, while respecting the diversity of nations, cultures and faiths.
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Nitzavim-Vayeilech: We Don’t Control the Weather
End of the year thoughts about leaving behind our comfort zones and approaching the new year with a renewed approach.
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Eikev: Blackout
A personal message about the value of reflecting during the period after the 15th of Av when “the power of the sun” begins to weaken.
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Simchat Torah: Absolute Passion in the Face of Complacency
As we enter the climax of the High Holiday season we are challenged to ask ourselves: What do we stand for, what do we fight for? Movingly discussed here…
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The Wilderness & the Torah
Teaching from the Alter Rebbe which highlight the significance of receiving the Torah in the desert and how this is a lesson for our daily lives..
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Pinchas: The Best Way to Commemorate September 11
As we begin to commemorate the tragic events of September 11, we are also entering an important period of Jewish mourning: The beginning of the Three Weeks.
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Yom Kippur: Nine Eleven & Ten
Commemorating 9/11 elucidates the significance in the numbers themselves: “Ten sefirot of nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven.”
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Tisha B’Av: Pain and Pleasure: The Birth of the Future in the Belly of the Beast
Tisha B’av at the Western Wall: Do we see the light at the end of the tunnel? will we have the courage and strength to solve the problem at its root?
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Purim: Middle East Revisited
Perhaps the most intriguing, and definitely the most mysterious, character in the Purim Megilah is King Achashverosh, the Persian leader who ruled the world
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Skyscraper – Where Heaven Meets Earth
At Mt. Sinai, the physical and spiritual worlds merged. The NYC skyline shows a man-made version of this, yet reminds us of the fragility of man’s work.
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Lech Lecha: Abraham’s Vision – Roots of Today’s Conflict
As we shudder in the shadow of September 11 and its aftermath, and we stand uncertain with what lies ahead if us, now is the time to embrace and connect to Abraham’s vision.
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An Open Letter to the Muslim World
With atrocities being perpetrated by Muslims in the name of Allah — mass beheadings, rapes and murders of women and children, the killings of thousands of innocent people — why do we not hear any voice of protest from any of you?
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9/11 and 10
Learn how to excavate the intimate energy of Yom Kippur and access your innermost voice, allowing you to create harmony in your life and your relationships.
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9/11: 13 Years Later
Learn about this historical and religious war, which must be fought with ideas, education and ideology. Discover how we can shape destiny.
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9/11 All Over Again?
Join Rabbi Jacobson to reflect, remember and honor 9/11, while discovering how we can grow from such pain and destruction.
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