Tzav – 5779 Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36 Yes, the priests got to wear the coolest couture of the day, with entire chapters of Torah devoted to describing each magnificent garment after another. And yes, the priests were revered as spiritual leaders, and given the holiest of tasks to perform before God on behalf of all […]
VaYikra – 5779 Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26 [Originally published in 2016] Open the book VaYikra, and enter the world of sacrificial Judaism. This is the priestly book, the book of the korbonot – the offerings through which Israel drew closer to God. According to tradition, young Jewish students begin their studies here, in the middle […]
Pekudei – 5779 Exodus 38:21 – 40:38 We’ve heard it before. Twice. In excruciating detail. With Terumah and Teztaveh we received the design plans with full specs for both the mishkan (Tent of Meeting/Tabernacle) and the priestly vestments. Then in Veyak’heil we read about the actual construction, in detail. Now, finally, in Pekudei the finished […]
Survival and Renewal – March 2019 Chadashot Article As a kid in the sixties and seventies, I somehow internalized a common unspoken message of the time: “be proud of being a Jew, but don’t tell anyone.” At that time, ethnicity was still a strong driver of Jewish identity. We were not fully assimilated Americans, although […]
This Month’s Message from our President The development of the various “action” or “implementation” teams gives us an opportunity to engage many more members of our congregation in the Vision 2020 project. Our Vision 2020 project is based on the understanding that we have the ability to position Temple Beth Ami as an institution […]
Monthly Clergy Message From Rabbi Pokras Survival and Renewal As a kid in the sixties and seventies, I somehow internalized a common unspoken message of the time: “be proud of being a Jew, but don’t tell anyone.” At that time, ethnicity was still a strong driver of Jewish identity. We were not fully assimilated Americans, […]
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