Ekev 5872 Deut. 7:12 – 11:25 Rabbi Gary Pokras There is an old joke that Jews will rarely miss an opportunity to take something simple, and then make it complicated and counterintuitive. Take for example, the mealtime blessings. In the Christian world, it is common for one person at the table to compose a detailed […]
VaEtchanan 5872 Deut. 3:23 – 7:11 Rabbi Gary Pokras “You shall the love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your stregth.” [Deut. 6:5] What does it mean to love God with everything we have? For years I have struggled to find the answer, and to be […]
Tisha B’Av 5872 Lamentations Rabbi Gary Pokras The destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, which we commemorate and mourn on Tisha B’Av seem a long way off. It has been almost two-thousand years since the end of the sacrificial cult, and most contemporary Jews do not hope for its return. According to […]
D’varim 5782 Deut. 1:1 – 3:22 Rabbi Jack Luxemburg “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Zim, Anu D’varim..” Not a line of Torah from this week’s portion, D’varim (Deut. 1:1-3 – 3:22), but a line from a Hebrew children’s song. It means, “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom Zim, we are bees!”. Something that has always interested me is that […]
Mattot/Mas’ei 5782 Num. 30:2 – 36:13 Rabbi Gary Pokras As we approach the end of the book of Numbers, the entire community of Israel is encamped on the east bank of the Jordan river – directly across from the Promised Land. They have wandered for nearly forty years through the Wilderness, and they have […]
Tikkun Olam Monthly Newsletter Archive Please enjoy reading our most recent newsletters to learn more about the many ways TBA is repairing the world and how you can be involved through our Tikkun Olam Committee: September 2022 newsletter July/August 2022 newsletter June 2022 newsletter May 2022 newsletter April 2022 newsletter
Pinchas 5782 Num. 25:10 – 30:1 Rabbi Gary Pokras Miriam had died. So had Aaron. This week, God reminds Moses that his time, as well, is limited. Moses, the consummate leader, responds to God: “May the Lord, God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over this community to go out and come […]
Balak 5872 Num. 22:2 – 25:9 Rabbi Jack Luxemburg This Torah portion is full of surprises. It is named for a pagan king, Balak, who ruled over Moab, a territory that is now part of modern-day Jordan. It introduces us to a complicated character, Balam, a soothsayer, and magician who is hired by Balak to […]
