Bamidbar Numbers 1:1 – 4:20 By Jen Smith This week, we turn the page on a new book, Bamidbar (Book of Numbers), which immediately opens with God’s command for the people to take a census. At first glance, it feels strange that our sacred text would include something so overwhelmingly…well, administrative. Detailed lists of names, […]
Parashat Behar–Bechukotai Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34 By Jen Smith This week’s double portion, Behar–Bechukotai, arrives just as we count the 37th day of the Omer, which names our intention this week: Gevurah sheb’Yesod – Might within Foundation. In the mystical tradition of the Omer1, this day asks us to examine the strength of our roots. Not strength as domination or force, but the sacred, sometimes rigorous, discipline required to sustain […]
Emor Leviticus 21:1–24:23 By Jen Smith There’s a peculiar rhythm to this week’s Torah portion, Emor. It opens with the laws governing the Kohanim (priests), including laws for who they can marry, what to do after becoming ritually impure, and how to maintain a heightened standard of holiness. It is a detailed and exhaustive (almost […]
Click the Icon or Text Below for More Information Tues. June 210:30 AM Live and Learn with Gideon Amir Fri. June 56:30 PM L’Dor V’Dor Torah Dedication & Rabbi Luxemburg’s 50th Anniversary Shabbat Sat. June 62-5 PM A Shabbat Afternoon of Torah Learning and Celebration Sun. June 79:45 AM Temple Beth Ami Maryland Primary Candidates […]
Click the Icon or Text Below for More Information Fri. May 1 6:30 PM Camp Shabbat Sat. May 2 6 PM Free Birds at Lone Oak Brewery Sun. May 3 9:30 AM Machane TBA Kindergarten Sneak Peek Sun. May 3 Various Times Sofer Visit for L’Dor V’Dor Torah – Sign Up Required Mon. May 4 […]
Click Dates in Bold for More Information Fri, May 1 6:30pm 4th Gr. Honored; All Families Welcome! Sun, May 3 9:30am-12:30pm Preschool-6th Gr. Sun, May 3 9:30-11:30am Kindergarten Sneak Peek Tues, May 5 7th-12th Gr. 6-6:30pm Pizza; 6:30-8pm Classes Fri, May 8 6:30pm Graduation Shabbat Service; All Families Welcome Sun, May 10 9:30am-12:30pm Preschool-6th Gr. […]
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1-20:27 by Jen Smith There are some weeks when the Torah whispers; and then there are weeks like this one, when Torah seems to clear its proverbial throat and says: We need to talk. Achrei Mot opens in the shadow of tragedy: Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, are consumed by fire in response to their offering of strange fire. The Torah doesn’t linger in this grief, it simply says achrei mot, or, after the death, and moves forward. Which feels… a little abrupt. Where does […]
Tazria–Metzorah Leviticus 12:1–15:33 By Jen Smith Time, Transformation, and the Hidden Layers of Reality At first read, this week’s double portion, Tazria-Metzorah, feels almost uncomfortably clinical. Skin afflictions, isolation terms, detailed physical examinations by the priests? Just… No. But beneath the surface, this chapter in the Israelites journey isn’t really about skin at all. Beneath […]
Shemini Leviticus 9:1–11:47 By Jen Smith There is something almost uncanny about this moment of the year. Just a week or so ago, the trees were bare save for a few pink buds, and it was just cold enough for my spring jacket. Then suddenly, we experienced a taste of August, but then, as always, the Maryland climate lost […]
From Generation to GenerationA Message from Rabbi Pokras
