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		                                    Thinking Torah Blog		                                </span>

Emor

05/15/2025 07:30:46 PM

May15

Rabbi Josh Whinston

In this week’s parashah, Emor, the Torah breaks from its long list of priestly laws to tell a short, unsettling story. A quarrel flares, a man cries out God’s name as a curse, and the community escorts him outside the camp to be stoned to death. The punishment is stark, but the deeper lesson abides: when our words or deeds profane God’s name—ḥillul HaShem—we risk pushing holiness away.

That fear feels painfully...Read more...

Acharei Mot - K’doshim, אַחֲרֵי מוֹת - קְדֹשִׁים, After the Death [of the Two Sons of Aaron] / [You Shall Be] Holy 

05/09/2025 11:36:16 AM

May9

URJ

The Eternal One spoke to Moses after the death the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too close to the presence of the Eternal. - Leviticus 16:1 The Eternal One spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy." - Leviticus 19:1-2

TORAH, Leviticus 16:1-20:27

SUMMARY 

- The duties that the head kohein...Read more...

05/02/2025 10:35:04 AM

May2

Rabbi Josh Whinston

For two decades, Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families have gathered on Erev Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) for a joint Memorial Ceremony. Organized by The Parents Circle – Families Forum, the ceremony’s courageous message is this: “We are all suffering and only by meeting in our shared pain can we end the violence.”

That message has never been easy for many Israelis to hear; this year—after the horrors of...Read more...

Sh'mini, שְׁמִינִי, The Eighth [Day] 

04/25/2025 12:59:44 PM

Apr25

URJ

On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel. - Leviticus 9:1 

TORAH, Leviticus 9:1-11:47 

SUMMARY 

- Aaron and his sons follow Moses' instructions and offer sacrifices so that God will forgive the people. (9:1-24) 

- Two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, offer "alien fire" to God. God punishes these two...Read more...

04/18/2025 04:09:36 PM

Apr18

Rabbi Josh Whinston

Earlier this week we sat around our seder tables retelling our sacred narrative of liberation from Egypt. We drank wine or grape juice, we ate bitter herbs, we crunched on matzah and fulfilled the mitzvah of gathering and telling our story. We also ended our seders in a particular way, as we do every year, we said, “L’shanah Haba’ah Birushalayim,” Next Year in Jerusalem.

We are all aware of the horrors of October 7th and the...Read more...

Tzav, צַו, Command [Aaron and His Sons]

04/11/2025 12:31:03 PM

Apr11

URJ

The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: "Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the burnt offering: The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it." - Leviticus 6:1-2

 

TORAH, Leviticus 6:1−8:36 

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Vayikra וַיִּקְרָא [God] Called Out

04/03/2025 07:48:21 PM

Apr3

URJ

This week we begin the Book of Leviticus, Vayikra. The very first verse opens with “Vayikra El Moshe…”—in English, “And God called to Moses.” Rashi, the 11th-century French commentator, notices that it says “called,” rather than the more common phrase “spoke.” He explains, “This implies that the Voice continued and reached only Moses’s ears, while all other Israelites did not hear...Read more...

P'kudei, פְקוּדֵי, [The] Records [of the Tabernacle]

03/27/2025 07:18:42 PM

Mar27

URJ

These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, which were drawn up at Moses' bidding--the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. - Exodus 38:21 

  

TORAH, Exodus 38:21-40:38 

  

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Vayak'heil, וַיַּקְהֵל, [Moses] Assembled

03/20/2025 05:09:45 PM

Mar20

URJ

Rabbi Whinston encourages you to read over a summary of this week's Torah portion from the URJ and contemplate for yourselves. 

Vayak'heil, וַיַּקְהֵל, [Moses] Assembled 

Moses then convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: "These are the things that the Eternal has commanded you to do." - Exodus 35:1 

TORAH, Exodus 35:1–38:20

SUMMARY 

Moses teaches the...Read more...

03/06/2025 07:53:37 PM

Mar6

Rabbi Josh Whinston

As the world continues to shift beneath our feet, the Jewish community is also navigating new dynamics. In the last few weeks, we’ve witnessed a series of global changes that make some of us feel as if we’re living in an upside-down reality. Sadly, the Jewish world is not immune to this turmoil. Two recent events, in particular, have deeply pained me, even as I recognize the political calculations behind...Read more...

Terumah

02/27/2025 06:23:32 PM

Feb27

Rabbi Josh Whinston

A few years ago, while visiting Honduras, I waited at a convent for a ride to the airport so I could return home. As I waited, I overheard a presentation led by lawyers and humanitarian workers advising participants on making the journey to America. They weren’t describing plane rides or passports; rather, they focused on overland routes—roads and railways running from Honduras to the United States—and...Read more...

02/20/2025 09:53:16 PM

Feb20

Rabbi Josh Whinston

I often get calls from families as their loved one approaches death, wanting to discuss the next steps. The call can come weeks or days before the end, and sometimes even hours. I listen and give the family member time to communicate, and then I encourage that person to return to the bedside of their loved one and be present with them. Our tradition encourages us to stay present with the dying and not get...Read more...

Yitro, יִתְרוֹ, Jethro

02/13/2025 05:34:45 PM

Feb13

URJ

Jethro, priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, God's people, how the Eternal had brought Israel out from Egypt. - Exodus 18:1

TORAH, Exodus 18:1–20:23

SUMMARY
• Yitro brings his daughter Zipporah and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, to his son-in-law Moses. (18:1-12)
• Moses follows Yitro's advice and appoints judges to help him lead the people....Read more...

Beshalach

02/06/2025 08:50:07 PM

Feb6

Rabbi Josh Whinston

In this week’s Torah portion, Beshalach, we encounter the miracle everyone knows: the splitting of the sea. Fresh from their liberation, the Israelites are heading toward the Promised Land when God takes them on a route that requires crossing a sea. Pharaoh changes his mind about letting the Israelites go and pursues them all the way to the shore. Then, in a spectacular moment, the sea parts, the Israelites...Read more...

Bo בֹּא Go [to Pharaoh] 

01/30/2025 07:31:02 PM

Jan30

Rabbi Josh Whinston

As you may know, I am in Israel at the moment, here for about a week as part of my fellowship with the Shalom Hartman Institute. As expected, being here is incredibly complicated. This is my third trip to Israel since October 7th, and each visit has felt profoundly different.

 

Right now, the mood in the country is layered....Read more...

Va'eira

01/23/2025 05:03:50 PM

Jan23

Rabbi Josh Whinston

As you may know, the Torah uses strong language to address taboo sexual relationships. These prohibitions don’t emerge prominently until Leviticus, where the text makes clear with whom one may or may not engage in sexual relations. Many of these taboos focus on incestuous relationships, but others concern marrying members of different peoples. 

This makes it all the more curious that Moses’ birth stems from a marriage that...Read more...

Exodus 1:1−6:1

01/16/2025 08:10:46 PM

Jan16

URJ

Sh'mot, שְׁמוֹת, Names

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. - Exodus 1:1-4

 

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Vayechi

01/09/2025 06:09:38 PM

Jan9

Rabbi Josh Whinston

Many of us are likely familiar with the practice of saying the second line of the Sh’ma quietly or at least in a quieter voice than the first line. The origin of this tradition comes from the Talmud. In Pesachim 56a, regarding this week’s Torah portion, Vayechi, we read: “Jacob’s sons said to him: Hear Israel, our father, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One. That is: Just as there is only one God in your heart, so too, there is only one...Read more...

Vayigash

01/03/2025 09:39:58 AM

Jan3

Rabbi Josh Whinston

After years apart from his family and rising to power as the second-in-command in Egypt, Joseph faces a pivotal moment when his brothers arrive seeking food during a famine. Unbeknownst to them, the powerful Egyptian official they are speaking to is their brother—the one they sold into slavery and told their father was dead.

Before revealing his identity, Joseph tests his brothers to see if they have changed. His response is nothing...Read more...

Mikeitz, מִקֵּץ, After [Two Years]

12/26/2024 05:04:39 PM

Dec26

URJ

At the end of two years' time Pharaoh had a dream: there he was, standing by the Nile, when seven cows came up out of the Nile, handsome and fat. - Genesis 41:1-2

 

TORAH, Genesis 41:1−44:17

 

SUMMARY

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Vayeshev

12/20/2024 08:21:22 AM

Dec20

Rabbi Josh Whinston

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayeshev, we encounter Joseph, a dreamer and a favored son, whose journey takes a dramatic turn when his brothers sell him into slavery. Joseph’s dreams—visions of greatness—spark jealousy and resentment. Yet these same dreams set in motion a chain of events that ultimately lead to his rise in Egypt and his ability to save his family from famine. Joseph’s story is one of resilience, of holding on to...Read more...

Vayishlach, וַיִּשְׁלַח, [Jacob] Sent

12/12/2024 08:24:56 PM

Dec12

URJ

Jacob now sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in the countryside of Edom. - Genesis 32:4

 

TORAH, Genesis 32:4−36:43


SUMMARY

• Jacob prepares to meet Esau. He wrestles with a "man," who...Read more...

Vayeitzei, וַיֵּצֵא, And [Jacob] Left

12/06/2024 09:24:13 AM

Dec6

URJ

And Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. - Genesis 28:10

 

TORAH, Genesis 28:10−32:3

 

SUMMARY

• Jacob dreams of angels going up and down a ladder. God blesses him. Jacob...Read more...

Toldot

11/28/2024 12:19:19 PM

Nov28

Rabbi Josh Whinston

Gathering this past Sunday for the annual Erev Thanksgiving service with our friends at Saint Clare’s was truly wonderful. This year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Genesis—a historic and visionary partnership of co-ownership and relational living between our two congregations. Seeing our sanctuary filled with so many members from both communities was a powerful reminder of the shared journey we’ve undertaken together.

In...Read more...

Chayei Sarah, חַיֵּי שָׂרָה, The Life of Sarah

11/21/2024 08:34:33 PM

Nov21

URJ

Sarah lived to be 127 years old--such was the span of Sarah's life. - Genesis 23:1

TORAH, Genesis 23:1−25:18

SUMMARY

• Abraham purchases the cave of Machpelah in order to bury his wife Sarah. (23:1-20)

• Abraham sends his servant to find...Read more...

11/15/2024 11:32:31 AM

Nov15

Rabbi Josh Whinston

The 2024 World Migration Report reveals a staggering trend: “The total estimated 281 million people living in a country other than their country of birth in 2020 was 128 million more than in 1990 and over three times the estimated number in 1970.” And yet, “The vast majority of people continue to live in the countries where they were born—only one in 30 are migrants.”

Those who have heard me speak on this before know that I...Read more...

Noach נֹחַ Noah

10/31/2024 07:22:10 PM

Oct31

URJ

This is Noah's chronicle. Noah was a righteous man; in his generation, he was above reproach: Noah walked with God. - Genesis 6:9

SUMMARY

- God decides to cause a flood that...Read more...

10/24/2024 01:13:05 PM

Oct24

Rabbi Josh Whinston

As Sukkot departs and the holiday of Simchat Torah/Shmini Atzeret arrives tonight, I am reminded that our prayers shift with the changing seasons. In the Amidah, the central prayer of almost every Jewish worship service, there is a line in the second paragraph where we pray for dew during the summer and for rain and wind in the winter. This prayer reflects the climate of the land of Israel, where the summers are dry, and the winter months...Read more...

Chol HaMo-eid Sukkot חוֹל הַמֹּעֵד סֻכֹּת

10/16/2024 06:51:47 PM

Oct16

URJ

Shabbat During the Intermediate Days of Sukkot

Moses said to the Eternal, "See, You say to me, 'Lead this people forward,' but You have not made known to me whom You will send with me. Further, You have said, 'I have singled you out by name, and you have, indeed, gained My favor.'"- Exodus 33:12

TORAH, Holidays Exodus 33:12–34:26

10/11/2024 09:23:12 PM

Oct11

Rabbi Josh Whinston

As we approach Yom Kippur, beyond wishing each other a G’mar Chatimah Tovah (A good final seal in the Book of Life), we might also consider the greeting, Shanah Yoter Tovah, a greeting I have been seeing a lot these past two weeks. The addition of “Yoter” changes the greeting from A Good Year to A Better Year. Let us pray, that as 5785 continues to open that it will be better than 5784.

Read more...

Sun, May 18 2025 20 Iyar 5785