Bo 5781
01/22/2021 11:28:44 AM
Stepping into the Light
In this week’s parsha, we read about the last three plagues - including the final two, choshech/darkness and makat bechorot/death of the firstborn. Many commentators note the plague of darkness feels out of order in the sequence of the ten plagues. So far, the plagues have grown in terror and impact, yet the plague of darkness...Read more...
Vaera 5781
01/14/2021 07:59:00 PM
2020 was, by all accounts, an extremely challenging year. Political divisiveness. Social unrest. And, of course, a pandemic. It was a time of heightened anxieties, social isolation, and excessive, untimely loss of life. It is not surprising then, that anticipation for the new year, 2021, was even more pervasive than usual. Countdowns and memes littered our Facebook feeds as the end of such a frustrating period drew...Read more...
Shavuot Torah Companion 5780
05/27/2020 12:06:32 PM
Sponsored by Yael and Rabbi Will Keller in memory of Yael’s father, Larry Kletter. Cosponsored by the Feldblum family in memory of all those for whom the community says yizkor.
DOWNLOAD HERE (click "Read more" to view link)
Read more...Emor 5780
05/07/2020 09:21:12 PM
Of the many laws in this week’s Torah portion, one of the most fundamental laws is that of kiddush hashem. Literally it means, sanctifying God’s name, and attached to it is the negative commandment of not profaning God’s name. The verse states, “You shall not defile My unique name, and I shall be sanctified among the children of Bnei Yisrael, I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” The idea of...Read more...
Tazria-Metzora 5780
04/23/2020 09:52:13 PM
This week's parsha, Tazria-Metzora, is often used as an opportunity to talk about lashon hara. This comes from a comment in the Gemara (Erchin 16a),
מצורע = מוציא שם רע.
The word metzora (perhaps a leper) sounds like the words motzi–ra - one who brings forth evil; meaning one who speaks lashon hara. Everyone seems to know that lashon hara is something to avoid, but to...Read more...
Shemini 5780
04/17/2020 11:58:44 AM
This week's parasha begins by describing the sacrifices brought following the installation of the כהנים, on the eighth day after the construction of the משכן. The Torah then relates the story of נדב and אביהו, who brought an “אש זרה,” an “alien fire,” into the holiest section of the Tabernacle and were consumed by the fire of God. Rashi on this passage cites the opinions of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi...Read more...
Pesach Yizkor 5780
04/13/2020 11:34:55 PM
In a small coastal town in Japan on a grassy hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean there is a small room made entirely of glass panels. It contains only a disconnected rotary phone and a chair. Itaru Sasaki installed his phone...Read more...
Tzav 5780
04/02/2020 08:57:06 PM
We Jews know about being stuck inside.
From as long ago as the 10th plague in Egypt, we have had to hide inside from dangers that would run wild in the streets. Years of Jewish persecution, including pre-Pesach blood-libel, have historically forced Jews into hiding - some years have been worse than others. Yet to this day, our Jewish history continues to give us strength and insight. This year we are stuck in our...Read more...
Vayakhel-Pekudei 5780
03/20/2020 01:38:23 PM
What is a nation?
According to Wikipedia, a nation is defined as a “stable community of people formed on the basis of a common language, territory, history, ethnicity, or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.” The article goes on to note that the term “‘has been described as a fully mobilized or institutionalized ethnic group.’” The notion of mobilization evokes the idea that a group of...Read more...