Toldot Genesis 25:19–28:9 By Jen Smith Parshat Toldot is, at its core, a story about family: its beauty, its tensions, and the deep spiritual work of raising the next generation. In the opening lines, we meet two children who could not be more different: Esau, a ruddy, outdoorsy, rough and tumble boy, and Jacob, the […]
Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1 – 25:18 By Jen Smith Parashat Chayei Sarah opens with a paradox: Chayei Sarah literally means “the life of Sarah,” but ironically, it begins with her death. When I first began reading and studying the Torah portions week by week, I was startled by the abrupt beginning of Chayei Sarah. After […]
Click the Icon or Text Below for More Information Tues. Dec. 210:30 AM Live & Learn with Rabbi Rachel Hersh Tues. Dec. 27 PM Book Club feat. Sara Goodman Confino Thurs. Dec. 47:30 PM Hanukkah Night Out and Optional Crafty Activity for Moms Fri. Dec 56:30 PM Camp-themed Shabbat for Families (All are welcome) Sun. […]
Vayera Gen. 18:1 – 22:24 By Jen Smith, Torah Blogger In Parshat Vayera, amidst miracles and moral upheaval, we encounter a quiet, luminous phrase: El Roi – the God who sees me.[1] These are the words of Sarah’s handmade, Hagar, an Egyptian servant who must have felt afraid or invisible, used, and abandoned. And yet, […]
Lech-Lecha Genesis 12:1–17:27 By Jen Smith When God first speaks to Abram, the words are startlingly simple: Lech-Lecha…Go forth from your land, your birthplace, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (Genesis 12:1) There’s no roadmap. Instead of opening the chapter of Abram’s story with declaration of faith or theology, […]
Click Dates in Bold for More Information Sat, Nov. 1 9:30am-12pm Shabbat Hike Sun, Nov. 2 9:30am-12:30pm PreK-6th Gr. Tues, Nov. 4 7th-12th Gr. 6-6:30pm Pizza; 6:30-8pm Classes Thurs, Nov. 65-8:30pm Shop Ami Fri, Nov. 7 6:30pm Cantor Installation Service Sun, Nov. 9 9:30am-12:30pm PreK-6th Gr. Sun, Nov. 9 12:30-2:00pm 3-6th Grade Kehillah Program Sun, […]
Noach Genesis 6:9–11:32 By Jen Smith Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote, “The universe is not a finished product that we gaze upon; it is still being created.” in Bereshit, we are reminded that to live a Jewish life today is to be a co-creator with God, to bring forth light in a sea of […]
Bereshit Genesis 1:1–6:8 By Jen Smith These may be the most famous words in all of Torah: Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim v’et ha’aretz – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Jewish mysticism teaches that the “moment” of Creation, wasn’t a moment at all. Far from the one-time event captured inside […]
Ha’azinu Deuteronomy 32:1 – 52 By Jen Smith Parashat Ha’azinu is unlike almost anything else in the Torah. After forty years of wandering, after laws, stories, and struggles, Moses concludes his life’s mission with a poetic song: “Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth…” (Deut. 32:1) […]
