Shadowy Figures

Photo of Pinchas Giller
5783
by Rabbi Pinchas Giller
posted on May 24, 2023
Shavuot is a principal example of a festival that was shaped by the victory of Rabbinic Judaism over other forms. It is first described, in the Torah, as the festival of the conclusion of the first fruits, brought to the Temple for the 49 days after Passover.  Read more...

Reclaiming Authentic Welcome

Headshot of Rabbi Adam Greenwald
5782
by Rabbi Adam Greenwald
posted on June 2, 2022
It is often the case that the things that "everybody" knows to be true – aren't. Marie Antoinette never said: "Let them eat cake." Vincent Van Gogh did not cut off his ear to impress a lover. And, despite what my well-meaning mother told me, swallowed gum doesn't sit in your stomach for seven years, and if you make a funny face there is absolutely no chance of it sticking that way. There are lots of similarly popular myths about Jewish law: Read more...

Chosen Together: The Ethical Significance of Shavuot

Rabbi Bradley Artson
5781
by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
posted on May 13, 2021
Why is the festival of Shavuot called "the time of the giving of our Torah" and not the time of the receiving of our Torah?  Because the giving of the Torah happened at one specified time, but the receiving of the Torah happens at every time and in every generation. Read more...

We're All Parents, We're All Teachers

Photograph of Nolan Lebovitz
by Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz
posted on May 19, 2018
Torah Reading
Haftarah Reading
This week we begin the fourth book of the Torah, Sefer Bamidbar. We turn away from Priestly responsibilities centered in the tabernacle, and return our focus to the narrative of the Children of Israel wandering in the desert, in Hebrew “Bamidbar.” There is a passage in this Parshah that always grabs my attention, “And these are the offspring of Aaron and Moses on the day that God spoke with Moses on Mt. Sinai. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the firstborn was Nadav, and Avihua, Elazar and Ithamar. These were the names of the sons of Aaron…” (Num. Read more...

Up All Night

cheryl
5777
by Rabbi Cheryl Peretz
posted on May 31, 2017
Torah Reading
Haftarah Reading
As children, we think staying up all night is pretty cool. Remember the first time you vowed to stay awake for something special? In all likelihood, it ended with you falling asleep,leaving unfulfilled the desire to experience the special occasion of the night. Fast forward to college – an all-nighter took on new significance as a last ditch effort to cram for the big exam (memorizing information that many would say they forget not long after the exam is over) or put the finishing touches on an important paper (one that often made up the majority of the semester grade). Read more...