By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton The Midrash tells: On the day that the Holy Temple was destroyed, a Jew was plowing his field when his cow suddenly cried very agonizingly. An Arab was passing by and heard the call of the cow. Said the Arab to the

By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton If you peek through the front windows of my house, the first thing you might see would be our children’s toys, our books, and large dining room table. You’d probably get a pretty good idea of what our family is like and

By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton “Modeh Ani, I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for you have mercifully restored my soul to me, your faithfulness is great.” These words are so important that they are the first words we utter every morning — while still

By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton The joy in the synagogue on the holiday of Simchat Torah eve is one that must be seen to be believed. Young and old sing, dance, and celebrate the joyous gift from God — the Torah! Simchat Torah takes place at the

By Rabbi Levi Simon. Chabad of Greater Dayton Chapter Six in the Mishnah of Ethics of Our Fathers, or Tractate Avot, is customarily read on the Shabbat afternoon before the holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot is the holiday that commemorates the giving of the Torah by God to the Jewish people,

By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton Envision Jewish life in an Eastern European shtetl — an idyllic atmosphere where everyone went about their life devout and undisturbed by big city problems. This has fascinated artists and authors from Marc Chagall to Isaac Bashevis Singer. We read a beautiful description

By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton If you would see my son Shmuel you might mistake him for a girl, as many have, because of his long hair. Rochel, my wife, and I are not having him grow up as a hippie; we are marking the beginning of

By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton According to the Jewish calendar we are now between the holidays of Pesach, Passover, and Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks. This period has a special name and mitzvah associated with it. It is called Sefirat HaOmer or the time of the counting

By Rabbi Levi Simon Chabad of Greater Dayton A story is told about Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), the founder of the Chasidic movement. One day as Rabbi Yisrael was walking through the forest with his students, he pointed out a leaf that had just blown off of a

By Rabbi Levi Simon, Chabad of Greater Dayton We have just celebrated Shavuot, the holiday that commemorates the giving of the Torah. In the Midrash, Rabbi Meir teaches that before the Holy One, Blessed Be He, gave the Torah to the Jewish nation, He asked them for a guarantor, one