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 […]

Pinchas Numbers 25:10–30:1 by Jen Smith Sometimes the Jewish calendar creates unexpected harmonies. Events separated by centuries suddenly begin speaking to one another. This week is one of those weeks. As we read this week’s Torah portion, Pinchas, we also enter the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz, a day that marks the beginning of […]