Chol HaMo-eid Sukkot חוֹל הַמֹּעֵד סֻכֹּת
10/16/2024 06:51:47 PM
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
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.
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10/03/2024 09:24:15 PM
Rosh Hashanah occupies a unique place in our calendar. While most biblical holidays fall in the middle of the month under a full moon, with the night sky brightly lit, Rosh Hashanah arrives at the beginning of the month, when the sky is dark and the moon is hidden. This is no accident. Rosh Hashanah, as some might think, is not about the first day of creation; it marks the sixth day of creation, the day...Read more...
09/27/2024 09:27:57 PM
It is hard to believe that we are approaching the anniversary of October 7th, and it is even harder to believe there are still hostages being held in Gaza. The ongoing war in Gaza and the tremendous loss of life has been gut-wrenching, and it still seems unclear what might happen next in Gaza. I realize that with major escalations in Lebanon, the media hasn’t focused on Gaza as much, but we must. We must...Read more...
09/19/2024 05:11:07 PM
In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, we read about the Israelites' anticipated entry into the Promised Land and the instructions they received to set up large stones inscribed with the teachings of the Torah. These pillars, placed at the entrance to their new land, were a powerful symbol. They served as a reminder to all who entered of the moral and ethical principles that guided the people and...Read more...
09/12/2024 05:49:05 PM
This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, is filled with mitzvot that focus on the relationships between people, and even between people and animals. While many commandments in the Torah guide us in our relationship with God, this portion shifts the focus to our responsibility towards others. There are some beautiful teachings here. For instance, we’re told, “If you see your neighbor’s ox or donkey wandering, you must take it back to...Read more...
09/06/2024 12:16:00 PM
It is common for us, when quoting Torah, to focus on the pithiest phrases. Many of us are likely familiar with the powerful second verse from this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, which begins: "Tzedek, tzedek tirdof – Justice, justice shall you pursue." However, that’s not the entire verse. The Torah continues: “that you may live and occupy the land your God is giving you.” This addition is not just an afterthought; it...Read more...
08/29/2024 05:22:36 PM
Distinguishing ourselves from the surrounding communities is a fundamental directive of the Torah. Whether it is God or Moses speaking to the Israelites, this theme appears repeatedly in the Torah, including in this week’s portion, Re’eh. Through Moses, God instructs the people to destroy the holy places of other nations when they enter the land and warns them against worshipping God in the ways other people worship their gods....Read more...
08/22/2024 05:15:43 PM
This past Sunday, the Temple Beth Emeth Board gathered for our annual retreat and orientation. We welcomed new board members and reconnected after the summer break. As always, we began our meeting with words of Torah, and I had the privilege of leading a brief text study.
In this week’s Torah portion, Eikev, Moses...Read more...
08/08/2024 05:37:40 PM
My teacher, Dr. Michael Zeldin, an emeritus professor of Jewish Education at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, often reminded us, "A teaching session isn't over until you reflect on it." He emphasized that crafting a great lesson plan and delivering it effectively isn't enough. Without reflection, an instructor misses a vital aspect of teaching. Reflection allows us to...Read more...
08/01/2024 05:47:21 PM
We find ourselves in an interesting and often overlooked period in the Jewish calendar. Beginning last Tuesday, July 23rd, we entered a time known as "The Three Weeks." This time refers to the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz, when the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and the 9th of Av, when the Temple was ultimately destroyed and the second exile began for the Jewish people....Read more...
07/25/2024 07:49:30 PM
This past Sunday, many members of TBE joined me on a Zoom call with Rabbi Arik Ascherman from the West Bank, along with Palestinian villagers his organization, Torat Tzedek, has been defending. Rabbi Ascherman described the escalating situation, where a de facto policy is forcing Palestinians off their grazing lands and out of their villages, allowing extremist settlers to take over these areas. We heard firsthand from the Palestinians, who...Read more...
07/18/2024 05:33:01 PM
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...
07/11/2024 07:35:38 PM
In this week’s Torah portion, Chukat, Miriam dies, and the people are without water. The rabbinic tradition attributes this lack of water to Miriam’s death, maintaining that Miriam merited a well for the Israelites, which would travel with them through the wilderness. With Miriam’s death, that well dried up, and the Israelites grew thirsty, a problem anywhere, especially in the desert.
Water metaphors abound, some of which come...Read more...
07/04/2024 08:20:43 PM
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...
06/28/2024 11:12:35 AM
This week’s Torah portion, Sh’lach lecha, provides the context for the Israelites' 40-year journey through the desert. God instructs Moses to send scouts from each tribe to explore the Promised Land. Ten scouts return with reports of insurmountable obstacles, while two believe they can conquer the land. The Israelites choose to listen to the ten scouts, and as a result, their journey extends from a few weeks to 40 years. This period marks...Read more...
06/21/2024 11:38:54 AM
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...
06/13/2024 06:07:21 PM
This week in Parashat Nasso, we encounter the Priestly Benediction, the profound three-fold blessing our ancestor priests offered to the people on behalf of God. Today, Jews invoke this blessing during special moments, often when blessing children at the Shabbat table. In some communities, though typically not Reform communities, Jews who trace their ancestry to the Cohanim, still bless the entire...Read more...
B'midbar בְּמִדבַּר In the Wilderness
06/06/2024 09:34:43 PM
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...
B'chukotai בְּחֻקֹּתי My Laws
05/30/2024 10:16:16 PM
If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit. - Leviticus 26:3-4
TORAH, Leviticus 26:3-27:34
SUMMARY
• God promises blessings to the...Read more...
05/23/2024 10:16:08 PM
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...
Emor, אֱמֹר, Speak
05/16/2024 05:11:19 PM
The Eternal One said to Moses: "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: None shall defile himself for any [dead] person among his kin, . . ." - Leviticus 21:1
TORAH, Leviticus 21:1−24:23
SUMMARY
-Laws regulating the lives and sacrifices of the priests are presented. (21:1-22:33)
-The set times of the Jewish calendar are named and described: the Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and...Read more...
05/10/2024 09:51:09 AM
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...
05/02/2024 05:56:04 PM
I am a spiritual seeker. Every time I step onto the bimah, lead morning blessings, or say a blessing as I stand in awe of the natural world, I hope to be spiritually moved and feel my soul alight. It doesn’t always happen. No, spiritual fulfillment is a practice; it doesn’t happen on demand, but regular participation helps prepare me for these moments; it helps ensure I am ready to hold onto the...Read more...
Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, חוֹל הַמֹּעֵד פֶּסַח, Shabbat During the Intermediate Days of Passover
04/25/2024 05:58:28 PM
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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04/18/2024 09:13:27 PM
Mitzrayim is the Hebrew name for Egypt. Our sages famously suggest rereading that name, not as an actual place but as a reference to meitzar, narrowness. For our sages, Egypt (Mitzrayim) was a place of restriction or narrowness (meitzar).
This Passover will be unlike any most of us have ever observed; with the ongoing war in Gaza, the possibility of a regional war with Iran, and the hostages literally being held in narrow...Read more...
04/11/2024 09:23:32 PM
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...
04/04/2024 09:53:37 PM
There are many ways to categorize the mitzvot in the Torah, positive and negative, between people and God or people and people; commandments that apply only in the Land of Israel and those that apply everywhere are just some of the ways commandments are discussed in rabbinic literature. Another classic categorization is between Chuk and Mishpat. Both words mean “law,” but our sages distinguish...Read more...
03/28/2024 05:15:00 PM
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...
Vayikra, וַיִּקְרָא, [God] Called Out
03/21/2024 09:50:21 PM
The Eternal One called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying: "Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When any of you presents an offering of cattle to the Eternal: You shall choose your offering from the herd or from the flock." - Leviticus 1:1-2
TORAH, Leviticus 1:1−5:26
SUMMARY
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