Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair
How the Japanese Saved the Jews – Parshat Yitro
During World War II some 40,000 Jews found themselves under Japanese occupation in Manchuria, China and countries of South East Asia. Virtually all of them survived the war, but the Germans repeatedly pressured the Japanese to implement their "Final Solution." This is a famous story of how The Amshinover Rebbe, zt"l dissuaded the Japanese from complying with Hitler's dictate.
Is Gene Editing Playing God? – Parshat Beshalach
The current Covid pandemic has a silver lining: It has accelerated research into gene editing techniques that promise to put an end to many lethal hereditary diseases. But should man interfere in the work of God?
What’s Wrong With Amazon’s Kindle? – Parshat Bo
E-books are very convenient but they will never replace real books. Why?
Seeing Is Believing – Parshat Vaera
It's all too easy to go through life without actually seeing what is all around us.
Are the Jews Traitors? – Parshat Shemot
A common accusation against Jews is that they hold a divided loyalty. This is true but it's not the divided loyalty that most people think.
Boycott Israel? – Parshat Vayechi
The BDS lobby is a powerful force in world politics. Where does its power come from?
The Hidden Light – The Month of Tevet
The light of Chanuka becomes dark in Tevet but it never disappears.
Empowering Others – Parshat Miketz
Paul O'Neill's tenure at ALCO Aluminum Company as CEO from 1987 to 2000 increased the value of the company's shares five times, and its market capitalization by $27 billion. How did he do it?
The Runaway Train – Parshat Vayeshev
Sometimes people can be as destructive as a runaway train. How do you stop them? An insight based on Parshat Vayeshev.
Silence and Solitude – Parshat Vayishlach
Positive role models can only take us so far in our search for maturity. How do we step into the shoes of our mentors and become role models for others?
Holy Children in a Toxic World – Parshat Vayetzei
Bringing up normal, well-adjusted, and hopefully holy children, in our day and age seems to be a daunting task. How can we succeed against a world glitter and selfishness?
Reach for the Sky – Parshat Toldot
Learning about the lives of great people can be inspiring - but it can also be depressing when we see the enormous gap between their achievements and our own. How can we use their example positively and learn to 'reach for the sky'?
Why Is It So Hard to Be Good? – Parshat Chayei Sarah
If being close to God is the ultimate pleasure. Why did He make it so difficult?
The Chosen – Parshat Lech Lecha
Why God will never abandon the Jewish People.
Catch the Wind – Parshat Noach
If we have a spirit inside us, why don't we see it?
The Day the Music Died – Sukkot
Music has a tremendous power - for the good or the bad. It all depends on the soul of the composer and the musician.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Yom Kippur
On Yom Kippur, we can discover who we really are.
Was It Worth Creating the World for Me?
Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of the creation of the first man. It's also the day on which God judges the whole world. What is the connection between the two?
Why Evil Exists
A mini-lecture about why evil exists in this world.
Fear of Elul
Right now, faced with the prospect of having to turn my life and my emotions upside down, I go into a panic that results in total spiritual paralysis. Fear of Elul.
Leaving Our Comfort Zone – Elul
One of the most difficult things in this world is to change. To become more than we are. To realize our true potential. We don't want to change. We'd rather sit by the pool and watch the water-lilies float-to-and-fro. Any true change is painful. The Hebrew month of Elul is the time that demands from us to leave our comfort zone and realize our true spiritual potential.
Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair – Tisha B’Av 5781 – “Why We Weep”
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Richard Branson and the Ultimate Joy Ride
It's easy to think of life as a trip through a treasure-house of experiences. Climbing Everest. Flying around the world in eighty days, or to the edge of space. The truth is that all the pleasures, all the experiences of this world, are given to us for one reason only: that we might sense to the smallest degree, the taste of life itself.
But what is life itself if not our experiences in it?
Why the Jewish People Are the People of the Moon
Have you ever noticed that from the Earth, the Sun and the Moon look exactly the same size? Is it just a coincidence? Maybe there's a deeper meaning to this?
Book Burning and the 17th of Tammuz
A hallmark of all repressive regimes is burning books. One of the tragedies that we mourn on the 17th of Tammuz is the burning of the Torah - the ultimate repression of the ultimate "book".
Two Bottles of Coca-Cola Cost $4 Billion
Mystical concepts can be hard to imagine, but something happened recently that gives us a parable to grasp the enormous power that lies within us.
Why Do We Say Shabbat Shalom?
All right-thinking people in this world want shalom – peace. Why is it that almost since the beginning of time, peace has been elusive and often illusory. Shabbat holds the answer.
Is Circumcision Mutilation?
Prince Charles and before him the sons of George V were all circumcised. In fact, circumcision was widely performed on British middle - and upper-class male infants from the 1890s through the 1940s. Things have changed a bit since then... Why do Jews circumcise their sons?
The Hidden Light – Parshat Behalotecha
At the beginning of time there shone a light called the "Ohr Haganuz." With this light you could see from one end of the world to the other - meaning you could see the connection between cause and effect. God hid that light away after 36 hours but there are still times when you can still catch its glow.
Why the World Hates the Jews
The recent events in Israel show that anti-Semitism is rife not just in Gaza, Akko, and Jerusalem but in the civilized capitals of the world. Why won't anti-Semitism go away?
A Real Jewish Princess – Parashat Naso
A magical parable about Shavuot.