Toledot – 5780 Genesis 25:19 – 28:9 As we celebrate Thanksgiving, Americans will gather around our tables to give thanks for the blessings which surround and infuse our lives, but what exactly is a blessing? According to the dictionary, there are four distinct types of blessing: A prayer asking for God’s favor and protection A […]
Chayei Sarah – 5780 Genesis 23:1 – 25:18 From the title of our parasha, Chayei Sarah, we would assume that the portion is about the life of Sarah, because Chayei Sarah literally means ‘the life of Sarah.’ How surprising then, is the opening verse: “And the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years, […]
VaYeira – 5779 Genesis 18:1 – 22:24 In last week’s parasha Abram left the only life he had ever known behind when God called, and in so doing, became the world’s first Jew. This week, God commands Lot and his family to flee the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, specifically telling them not to stop […]
Lech Lecha – 5779 Genesis 12:1 – 17:27 “And the Lord said to Abram: Lech lecha, go you forth from your land and your birthplace and your father’s house to the land I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation …” [Gen. 12:1-2] Abram followed God’s command, and began a […]
Noach – 5778 Genesis 6:9 – 11:32 Part of the genius of Torah is that it does not start with Judaism or even Jews, but with humanity. Neither Adam nor Eve were Jewish, nor were Cain or Abel. The Jewish narrative does not begin until (in next week’s parasha) God calls upon Abram to leave […]
Bereshit – 5779 Genesis 1:1 – 6:8 There is more to Torah than meets the eye! By design, the Torah is written in such a way that it cannot be understood by simply reading it as a book. It requires us to look more deeply, to question and challenge both the text and ourselves as […]
Ki Tavo (Selichot) 5872 Deut. 26:1 – 29:8 Rabbi Gary Pokras KI Tavo contains a beautifully concise history of the Israelite people, which is included in the maggid, the narrative section of the Passover Haggadah. Yet, we do not read this passage in the annual cycle until right before Selichot, the service which anticipates our […]
Ki Tetze 5872 Deut. 21:10 –25:19 Rabbi Baht Yameem Weiss If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it, you must take it back to your fellow. If your fellow doesn’t live near you or you do not know him, you shall bring it home and it shall remain […]
Shoftim 5872 Deut. 16:18 – 21:9 Rabbi Gary Pokras Torah exists to a great extent to teach us how to create just communities, and this week’s parasha is a focal point towards that end. “Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof – Justice, justice, you shall pursue” [Deut. 16:20] is one of the foundational verses of Torah, yet how […]
