Return to Community of Action The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Background: Since its inception in 2017, Strong Schools Maryland has built a sprawling network of tens of thousands of individual grassroots supporters focused on securing the 2020 passage and 2021 veto override of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a law dedicating financial resources and critical […]
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 […]
Mishpatim 5782 Exodus 21:1 – 24:18 Rabbi Gary Pokras Human beings are not rational creatures. We say we are rational, and we like to think we are rational, but we have the capacity, and at times the inclination, to be deeply irrational. Today, it feels like we are surrounded by irrationality. For all we […]
Yitro 5782 Exodus 18:1-20:23 Rabbi Baht Weiss In this week’s Torah portion Moses gets some friendly advice from his father-in-law-Yitro, or in English, Jethro. Yitro notices how hard his son-in-law has been working to care for the Jewish people. Like any good parent, Yitro is concerned—Is Moses sleeping enough? Spending enough time with his wife, Yitro’s daughter, Tzipora? Yitro asks Moses a question, […]
Beshalach 5782 Exodus 13:17-17:16 Rabbi Baht Weiss This week we experience one of the greatest miracles of all time: the parting of the Sea of Reeds. Just as the Egyptians are closing in on the Israelites, who are fleeing religious persecution and slavery, the waters miraculously part and the Israelites are safely able to cross dry land. […]
Bo 5782 Exodus 10:1 – 13:16 Rabbi Gary Pokras This week, the dramatic, awesome Plagues against Pharoah reach their terrible climax. In our Torah study group, several students inevitably share their discomfort with this these passages. They ask: Were all of these plagues really necessary? Why couldn’t God have found a gentler solution to free our people? How can […]
VaEira 5782 Exodus 6:2 – 9:35 Rabbi Gary Pokras We’ve all said it, at one time or another, or perhaps more often: “I told you so!” Oh, the frustration when we know better than them: “I told you this would/wouldn’t work! If you had just listened to me we would have saved so much time/aggravation/money.” In one […]
