A Purim Message (rof esohT ohw evah hguonE emit no rieht sdnah dna a erised ot dneps suomrone stroffe ot elbmarcsnU A egasseM htiw elttil ot oN lufgninaeM tnetnoC). fI uoy wonk tuoba lirpA s’looF yaD ni eht setatS neht uoy osla wonk tuoba miruP. miruP si ton ylno ruo noitarbelec fo […]
VaYikra 5782 (Shabbat Zachor) Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26 Rabbi Gary Pokras To put it mildly, the book of Leviticus is a challenge. The entire book completely abandons the narrative of the Exodus from Egypt, leaving it to the next book of the Torah to pick up. Instead, the book of Leviticus focuses almost exclusively on […]
Pekudei 5782 Exodus 38:21 – 40:38 Rabbi Gary Pokras This is it. The end of the book. The mishkan, the holy sanctuary, has finally been completed. I don’t have to tell you that it hasn’t been easy. Just two Torah portions ago we worshipped the Golden Calf – while Moses was up on the mountain […]
Return to Community of Action AN ABSOLUTE WIN for Maryland Public School Children! Thanks to Strong Schools Maryland and the many groups and advocates marching, letter writing, and testifying along with it—including the Community of Action—Governor Hogan’s supplemental budget FULLY-FUNDS the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (the culmination of the Kirwan Commission’s work). […]
VaYakhel 5782 Exodus 35:1 – 38:20 Rabbi Jack Luxemburg The first word of this Torah portion gives the portion its name, Vayak’heil. It begins the opening verse: וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה, אֶת-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל–וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם: אֵלֶּה, הַדְּבָרִים, אֲשֶׁר-צִוָּה יְהוָה, לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָם And Moses gathered (vayak’heil) all the legions of Israel and said to them, “These […]
Ki Tissa 5782 Exodus 30:11 – 34:35 Rabbi Gary Pokras Ki Tissa is an odd portion, reminiscent of the children’s song “one of these things is not like the other ones.” The two portions before Ki Tissa and the two portions after are all focused on the design and construction of the mishkan, where […]
Tetzaveh 5782 Exodus 27:20 – 30:10 Rabbi Jack Luxemburg Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz) once said, “People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams.” In this week’s Torah Portion, Tetzaveh, it is as if […]
Terumah 5782 Exodus 25:1 – 27:19 Rabbi Gary Pokras Parashat Terumah describes the very first capital campaign in the history of our people, and as such, has probably been used to launch more synagogue and Jewish community campaigns, than, well, anything. At the beginning of the portion, God commands Moses: “Speak to the Israelites, and […]
