Thinking Torah Blog

As you may know, I traveled to Israel in mid-November, just weeks after the October 7th Hamas attacks. It was a devastating time to be here. Fear and angst permeated the air, even as Israelis put on brave faces and tried to hold onto some sense of normalcy. This current trip feels very different. While life goes on, yellow ribbons and posters of hostages’ faces are omnipresent in every city,...Read more...

Parashat Korach offers profound images of arrogance and humility. In his hubris, Korach projects his own arrogance onto Moses and Aaron, challenging their leadership of the Israelites. In contrast, Moses and Aaron embody humility, standing before the people and God, allowing divine intervention to affirm their roles as the chosen leaders. While the narrative includes the dramatic demise of Korach and his...Read more...

This is the moment the journey begins. For more than two years, the Israelites have been sitting at the foot of Sinai, but the journey to the promised land begins today. God tells Moses that a cloud will cover the Tabernacle, which will be a message to camp and stay put on this journey, but when the cloud lifts, Moses and the people will know to start moving. The metaphor might take us in several different directions, but we can all relate to...Read more...

On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, the Eternal One spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, saying: "Take a census of the whole Israelite company…" - Numbers 1:1-2

TORAH, Numbers 1:1−4:20

SUMMARY
•    God...Read more...

I love the way our Torah speaks about the land. As someone who needs to be in the wilderness at least a few times a year—smelling the decay of leaves, feeling the cool wind against my face, the warmth of the sun on my skin, and experiencing the stillness of a summer night surrounded by only trees—it is clear that our tradition understands the nature of the land. In our Western culture, we usually think of land as a commodity, something to...Read more...

For some time now, we have been navigating an important shift towards reorienting power with the hope of achieving greater liberation. This effort resonates deeply with our Jewish values of justice and equity. We are acutely aware of the disparities that plague our society—disparities in wealth, education, and freedom, exemplified by issues like the generational wealth gap and the school-to-prison...Read more...

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

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In the last few days, I’ve heard murmurings from members getting their seder cooking in order. Chicken soup and some of those side dishes are already made and being frozen. I don’t want to raise anyone’s anxiety; my own menu isn’t even set yet, but I know others do these things well in advance. Even if we prepare for Passover in the same old way we always have, we all know this Passover will be...Read more...

Parashat Tzav opens with two chapters regarding our ancestors' sacrifices at the Tabernacle and eventually at the Temple in Jerusalem. One of the sacrifices is called Zevach Shelamim and is often translated as a sacrifice of "well-being." This translation echoes ancient ideas of offerings made by kings of besieged cities to the commanders of the sieging forces. Our sages, however, often would translate this sacrifice as a "peace" offering. In...Read more...

Last week I informed the congregation that I had signed a T’ruah letter supporting President Biden in his efforts to, among others things, free the hostages in Gaza and work toward a bilateral ceasefire. I began my statement to the congregation by affirming, “I am a Zionist.” The next day during Shabbat services I opened up a conversation about my public shift on ceasefire and engaged folks at services...Read more...

The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: "When you take a census of the Israelite men according to their army enrollment, each shall pay the Eternal a ransom for himself on being enrolled, that no plague may come upon them through their being enrolled." - Exodus 30:11-12

TORAH, Exodus 30:11−34:35

SUMMARY

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The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: "Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved." - Exodus 25:1-2

TORAH, Exodus 25:1−27:19

SUMMARY

• God asks the Children of Israel to donate gifts (t'rumah) for the building...Read more...

In this week’s Torah portion, Yitro, we encounter the Ten Commandments, a cornerstone of Jewish ethics and law. These commandments are not just historical relics but continue to guide our moral compass and religious practice today. Interestingly, our sages cautioned against the notion of hierarchizing these divine directives. They believed that the entirety of Torah is God’s word, making no one commandment inherently more significant than...Read more...

In this week's Torah portion, Bo, before the final plague in Egypt, the Israelites marked their doorposts with lamb's blood. In the Torah, blood was typically considered ritually polluting, but here it becomes a symbol of protection, keeping the Israelites safe from the final plague. Today, our community faces a different kind of plague – one of division and disagreement.

Last night, the Ann Arbor Board of Education and the...Read more...

In our culture, we love to lionize the hero. We tend to focus on the successful individual as the pinnacle example of being rather than the efforts of a group. We focus on the JJ McCarthy’s of the world rather than the defensive lines (who obviously won the game for Michigan). We love our heroes. In real life, individual heroes don’t exist. Life is a group effort. This fact is true even when it comes to our relationship with...Read more...