Friday, February 14, 2020/19 Shevat, 5780 Parashat Yitro Exodus 18:1-20:23 Dear Friends, There are five short chapters between liberation and revelation. Whereas in last week’s Torah portion, we rejoiced in our freedom from the land of Egypt, this week we receive Ten Commandments. It is no small miracle that we were able to become a […]
The Universal and the Particular The quintessential Jewish expression of thanks, gratitude and acknowledgment is Baruch Hashem, meaning “Thank God,” or “Praise be to the Lord.” Chassidim say of the Baal Shem Tov that he would travel around the little towns and villages of Eastern Europe, asking Jews how they were. However poor or troubled they […]
Friday, February 7, 2020 /12 Shevat, 5780 Parashat Beshalach Exodus 13:17−17:16 Each Sunday morning, as I lead t’fillah with our Pre-K – 2nd graders, we approach the Mi Chamocha with the same introduction (the bold words are screamed out by the little ones): So…the children of Israel are trying to get away from a mean […]
Grammy Award Winner, Best Spoken Word Album, 2020 Number one New York Times best seller Oprah’s Book Club Pick NAACP Image Award Winner An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former first lady of the United States In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and […]
Crossing the Sea Our parsha begins with an apparently simple proposition: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the land of the Philistines, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around […]
Friday, January 31, 2020 /5 Shevat, 5780 Parashat Bo Exodus 10:1-13:16 Dear Friends, As we move further into the story of the exodus, Pharaoh’s heart continues to harden. Each time Moses asked Pharaoh to free the Israelites, Pharaoh declined. As plagues cause hardship for the Egyptians, Pharaoh insisted that he would release the Israelites as […]
Tree Hugging for Tu BiSh’vat Eric Imley & Gale Swartz, Co-Presidents eimley@yahoo.com swartzplace@gmail.com Can you remember your first introduction to Tu BiSh’vat, the ‘New Year of the Trees’? For many of us it was in religious school when we were asked to save our dimes (or quarters) on a card to buy a tree for […]
Jewish Valentine’s Day? Cantor Ilan Davidson cantor@bethelsp.org As we enter into the month of February, it seems appropriate to discuss a little known holiday, the Jewish Valentine’s Day, Tu B’Av. Often, I’m asked if and how Jews celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s right up there with Halloween on everybody’s list of questions regarding whether or not […]
