Behar – 5779 Leviticus 25:1 – 26:2 Behar is the name, and tzedakah is the game. Many of us have grown up equating tzedakah with giving charity, but the word literally means: “doing right.” We give charity when we are moved to help the less fortunate. We do tzedakah because it is how we are […]
2020 Beth Ami’s Trip to Israel THE ISRAEL TRIP July 1-12, 2020From $2,829 Land Only Click here for itinerary Highlights: A journey of inspiration, education and connection Feel the energy of Tel Aviv, the holiness of Jerusalem, the serenity of the North Experience Israel from ancient history to modern innovation Explore the diversity, triumphs and […]
Emor-5779 “These are My fixed times; the fixed times of Adonai, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions.” Leviticus 23:2 When I was considering Rabbinical School, I was cautioned, “Being a Rabbi is not a job, but rather it’s a way of life.” There is no punch out clock and the hours aren’t 9-5. […]
> As a rabbi, I try to encourage us to explore every aspect of our identities, and I recognize that our ideas – even about ourselves – change over time. Each year, our confirmands ascend the bimah on the festival of Shavuot to formally confirm their place as part of Beth Ami and the Jewish […]
Kedoshim – 5779 Leviticus 19:1 – 20:27 The Talmudic rabbis play a game of wits where one says, ‘I can sum up the entire Torah in just seven verses.’ Then another does it in six, and so on all the way down to one. Hillel wins by restating the Golden Rule: “What is hateful to […]
B’nei Yisrael (From the May 2019 Temple Beth Ami Chadashot) Each year, our confirmands ascend the bimah on the festival of Shavuot to formally confirm their place as part of Beth Ami and the Jewish people. During the service, they will read statements about what it means to them to be Jewish. For many, hearing […]
Acharei Mot – 5779 Leviticus 16:1-34 It may still be Passover, but our weekly Torah portion is about to redirect our attention to Yom Kippur. Acharei Mot describes the sacrificial service for Yom Kippur as it was thousands of years ago, and although we no longer follow this rite, there is still much we can […]
Pesach 1 – 5779 Exodus 12:21 – 51; Numbers 20:16 – 25 “And Egypt bore down on the people [of Israel] to hurry to send them off from the land, for they said, ‘We are all dead men.’ And the people carried off their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls wrapped in their […]
Metzorah – 5779 Leviticus 14:1 – 15:33 Rabbi Bonnie Koppell teaches: “God creates the world through speech, as we also create our own world through the power of our words.” Although parashat Metzorah seems to be about skin disease and household mold on the surface, our tradition has long held that it is really about […]
