Yom HaShoah Deut. 4:30-40 Rabbi Gary Pokras  Yom HaZikaron laShoah v’laG’vurah (Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day) is one of only a few modern Jewish observances established by the State of Israel. As a day of mourning, it is a fast day marked by public memorial ceremonies that include candle lighting, psalms, songs, poetry, mourning prayers, […]

Acharei Mot 1 Lev. 16:1-34 Rabbi Baht Weiss    Acahrei Mot literally means, “after the death.”  The parsha begins with God speaking to Moses “acharei mot shnei bnai Aharon” after the death of Aaron’s two children, who were named Nadav and Abihu, who died in the previous Torah portion.  Our text tells us that they […]

Pesach Day 7 Ex. 13:17 – 15:26; Num. 28:19-25 Rabbi Gary Pokras  We did it! We left Egypt! Now what?  As our celebration of Pesach concludes, the Torah narrative shifts from the moments of the actual Exodus from Egypt to what comes next:  “And it happened when Pharoah sent the people off that God did […]

Pesach Day 1 (Shabbat)  Ex. 12:21 – 12:51; Num. 28:16-25 Rabbi Baht Weiss   A week before Passover I engaged in one of my favorite activities, putting on a gray wig and beard, grabbing a wooden staff (stick) and walking down to our preschool classrooms to perform my role of Moses. It is always a great […]

Metzora 5782 (Shabbat HaGadol) Leviticus 14:1 – 15:33 Rabbi Baht Yameem Weiss  This week’s Torah portion Metzora speaks about contamination that can affect people’s homes.  Leviticus 14: 34-36 says, “When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague (nega tzaraat) upon your house in […]

Tazria 5782 (Shabbat HaChodesh) Leviticus 12:1 – 13:59 Rabbi Gary Pokras  Once, a friend who is a Methodist minister asked me how I would handle a crisis of faith so deep that it would challenge my commitment to Judaism. I remember thinking for a while before answering his question with another question, which is what […]

Shemini 5782 (Shabbat Parah) Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47 Rabbi Gary Pokras    Things start to move quickly in Shemini: the altar and the priesthood are dedicated with pomp and ceremony, and then later, Aaron’s sons are consumed by Divine fire for not following the laws of sacrifices. With all this drama, it is understandable that […]

Tzav 5782 Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36 Rabbi Gary Pokras    Command Aaron and his sons, saying: “This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering which will remain upon the altar all night to the morning, and the fire of the altar will burn on it.”  [Lev. 6:2]  The burnt offering, […]

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 […]