Nitzavim-Vayelech Deut. 29:9–31:30 By Jen Smith I love High Holy Day season! The renewal of our souls makes so much sense when juxtaposed with freshly sharpened pencils, a new backpack, and a cool new outfit. All these markers line the proverbial streets of my mind like an array of rainbow-colored arrows all pointing in the […]
Click the Icon or Text Below for More Information Thurs. Sept. 3 7:30 PM IVF Needle Painting with Glitter Enthusiast Fri. Sept. 4 6:30 PM Camp Inspired Shabbat Service Sat. Sept. 5 8:00 PM Nosh8:30 PM Service S’lichot Nosh and Service Sun. Sept. 69 AM Deliver Rosh Hashanah Gift Baskets with JSSA Sun. Sept. 69:30 […]
Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8 by Jen Smith There is something wonderfully optimistic about the first day of school. The backpacks are still clean. The pencils have erasers. The notebooks contain nothing but possibility. Parents take pictures on front porches, teachers welcome students into freshly decorated classrooms with renewed enthusiasm, and children walk through the doors […]
Our weekly Torah blog will be taking a short break while our staff enjoys time out of the office with family and friends. Just as Shabbat invites us to pause, rest, and renew, this brief break gives our team the opportunity to recharge before returning with fresh insights and reflections. We hope you decide to […]
Eikev Deut. 7:12–11:25 by Jen Smith Every morning, many of us cover our eyes to recite the familiar words of the Shema, proclaiming Adonai echad – God is One. This week, however, Parashat Eikev draws our attention to an overlooked transition: the second paragraph of the Shema, which contains a profoundly surprising lesson about the […]
Va’etchanan Deut. 3:23–7:11 By Jen Smith In the second century C.E., long before the Marvel movies, superhero franchises, and even Star Wars, Greek philosopher, Homer, gave the world The Odyssey. The epic poem tells the story of Odysseus, a leader in the Trojan war who becomes a weary traveler struggling for years to return home. Along the way, Odysseus encounters monsters, temptations, storms, false paradises, and impossible […]
Devarim Deut. 1:1-3:22 By Jen Smith If someone handed you a time machine, where would you go? I’ve thought about this question in so many ways: would I go back and warn my younger self before making that terrible decision? Should I go back in time to say the words I wish I had said before saying goodbye to someone I […]
Matot-Masei Numbers 30:2-36:13 by Jen Smith There is an old story about a man bragging about what an exemplary citizen he had become. “I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I don’t gamble. I don’t cheat. I work hard, go to bed early, and I attend religious services faithfully.” Quite impressive. Then he added, “I’ve been […]
