This week’s parsha, from the Book of Numbers, Chapter 13 verse 1 to Chapter 15 verse 41, is Shelach Lecha, meaning “send for yourself.” The portion includes the well-known story of the “spies” or “scouts” who are sent to reconnoiter in the land of Canaan. In the first line of the portion, God authorizes Continue Reading »
This month we celebrate Pride. But what does celebrating pride mean? For the LGBTQ+ community, Pride means being able to be yourself and be safe while being who God made you. This week’s Torah portion contains the following statement: “When a man or a woman commits any wrong toward a fellow human being, thus breaking Continue Reading »
This evening, we should be gathering in pure celebration — of Shabbat, of God’s creation, and of the loving fellowship of our community. Instead, our celebration is mingled with sorrow, with lamentation, as we grieve the horrific destruction of life — in Buffalo, in Ukraine, and, this past Tuesday, in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children Continue Reading »
This has been a time of building up walls and of tearing them down. We have endured a prolonged period of enforced separation to protect us from the dangers of COVID. And many of us have had to tear down walls that were infected with mold spawned by floodwaters from Hurricane Ida. It is as Continue Reading »
There is a tense moment at the opening of this week’s Torah portion, Shemini. It has been only a year since the liberation of Israel from Egypt and nine months since our people arrived at Mount Sinai. Led by Moses and Aaron, the Israelites have received the Torah and labored to build the Tabernacle that Continue Reading »
I have to admit, Purim is bothering me this year. The seemingly unending number of social, cultural, and political ills that plague the world make it hard to feel light and frivolous. Quite the opposite, I’m feeling heavy and distressed. And yet, here we are — it’s Purim, and frivolity and fun are what’s called Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, We join with our sisters and brothers of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas in expressing our relief and gratitude for the safe release of Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and the two members of their congregation who were held hostage in a terrible act of terror and antisemitism. We are grateful for the outpouring Continue Reading »
The Dubner Maggid told a parable that speaks poignantly to this moment in the cycle of the Jewish year: A champion marksman was passing through a tiny village when he saw a hundred circles drawn on the side of a barn – and in the center of each circle was a bullet hole. The man Continue Reading »
This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teizei contains more laws than any other parashah in the Torah — 72, to be exact. The purpose was not to provide a code that the average Israelite would carry around to consult at any given moment; rather, it was to cultivate a certain sensibility, awareness, and attitude. Nowhere is Continue Reading »
This last year has been challenging for all of us, with great difficulties for many, and tragedy for some. In recent weeks, I have started to feel sentiment beginning to turn toward optimism, as the trends in infection rates and deaths fall and we contemplate when the vaccines can begin to deliver us from our Continue Reading »
