I used to have interesting conversations with a friend who had studied for the Catholic priesthood in his youth. We talked about questions of ethics and morality from the perspectives of our two traditions. In one conversation, I mentioned that Jews don’t really concern themselves with an afterlife, that you
Reprinted by permission of the Cleveland Jewish News. This d’var Torah is one of a series influenced by the Me’am Loez Sephardic Torah commentary. In Jewish tradition, God is not so much in the details as in the relationships that hold the details together. Ki Tisa, this week’s Torah portion,
In a famous Hasidic saying, the Kotzker Rebbe was once asked: “Where does God dwell?” to which he replied, “Wherever you let Him in.” So this week as I read the Torah portion I have wondered about all the places where people let God into their lives, and the places
“Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and split it apart, that the Israelites may come into the midst of the sea on dry land” (Exodus 14:16). What is the nature of this staff? Is it a walking stick? Sign of God’s power? Or magical device?
The words we find this week in chapter twenty of the Book of Exodus have undoubtedly influenced more individuals in the Western world than any other words in the entire Torah. They are called in Hebrew, aseret hadibrot, “the ten utterances,” but most people know them simply as, “The Ten
What does it mean to “hear” the commanding “voice” of God? A key word in this week’s portion suggests that it is not necessarily all that clear. Moreover, one particularly trenchant verse in the haftarah reinforces the problem with understanding revelation (which I am equating with the notion of hearing
Vayomer YHVH el Moshe: “Ma titz’ak ei’lai? Da’ber el B’nai Yisrael v’yisa’u!” Then YHVH said to Moses: “Why are you crying out to me? Speak to the Children of Israel, and tell them to get moving!” (Exodus 14:15) The Children of Israel stand at the edge of the Sea. There
This week’s parashah includes one of the most familiar images in the Torah, that of the crossing of the Sea of Reeds (or Red Sea, depending on one’s translation). Most years, this story falls on or near the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For the exodus from
Just weeks after the dramatic exodus from Egypt/Mitzraim, we find ourselves in the midst of a fashioning of luxurious garments to dress the High Priest, literally, from head to toe—or at least ankle. These are luxurious robes and headdresses, covered with jewels and fine threads. We learn about them in
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
