Ha’azinu 5781
The Arc of the Moral Universe In majestic language, Moses breaks into song, investing his final testament to the Israelites with all the power and passion at his command. He begins dramatically but gently, calling heaven and earth to witness what he is about to say, words which are almost echoed in Portia’s speech in The […]
Parashat Nitzavim/Vayeileh
Friday, September 11, 2020 /22 Elul, 5780 Parashat Nitzavim/Vayeileh Deuteronomy 29:9–31:30 Dear Friends, This morning Elul Reflections came to an end. I’m sorry to see it go. For the past 29 days, we have listened to moving stories and recollections. We have seen phenomenal artwork and heard original music. We have received reflections on forgiveness, […]
Parashat Nitzavim/Vayeileh
Friday, September 11, 2020 /22 Elul, 5780 Parashat Nitzavim/Vayeileh Deuteronomy 29:9–31:30 Dear Friends, For the past three weeks, we have been blessed to hear so many powerful remarks from temple members, as part of the Elul reflection project. Up until Rosh Hashanah, I invite you to join the community on Facebook live or YouTube at […]
Nitzavim – Vayelech 5780
How to Renew a Nation The Talmud gives an ingenious reading to the line, “Moses commanded us a Torah, as a heritage of the congregation of Israel.” Noting that there are 613 commands, and that the numerical value of the word Torah is 611, it says that in fact Moses gave us 611 commands, while […]
Parashat Ki Tavo
Friday, September 4, 2020 /15 Elul, 5780 Parashat Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 Dear Friends, The month of Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashanah, is a time for sacred connection. As you may know, Elul is an acronym for the words Ani L’dodi v’dodi li. These words, which mean “I am my beloved’s and my beloved […]
Ki Tavo 5780
Be Silent and Listen During our first Coronavirus lockdown, there was one question I was asked more than any other. What about prayer? Just when we needed it the most, we found ourselves unable to participate in tefillah be-tsibbur, public communal prayer. Our most sacred prayers, devarim she-bi-kedushah, are communal. They require a minyan. There was […]
Parashat Ki Teitzei
Friday, August 28, 2020 /8 Elul, 5780 Parashat Ki Teitzei Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 Dear Friends, Last Friday, we began our Elul reflections. Each morning, we have been blessed with inspiring words, stories and artwork from some of our temple members. These reflections are part of a program that includes prayer, study of Psalm 27, and the […]
Ki Teitse 5780
Does Love Conquer All? Our parsha contains more laws than any other. Some of them have generated much study and debate, especially two at the beginning, the law of the captive woman and that of the “stubborn and rebellious son.” There is, however, one law that deserves much more attention than it has generally received, […]
Parashat Shof’tim
Friday, August 21, 2020 /1 Elul, 5780 Parashat Shof’tim Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 Dear Friends, What if Moses hadn’t climbed Mt. Sinai a second time? What if the new moon came, and he stood on the precipice of the mountain, unable to propel himself forward? Our tradition upholds Shavuot as one of our most important holidays. It […]
Shoftim 5780
A Sage is Greater than a Prophet In Shoftim, Moses speaks about the great institutions of Judaism; courts, judges, officers, Kings, Priests, Levites and Prophets. In the case of the Prophet, Moses says in the name of God: I will raise up a Prophet for them from among their own people, like yourself. I will […]