Friday, February 4, 2022/3 Adar I, 5782 Parashat T’rumah Exodus 25:1−27:19 Dear Friends, After receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the Israelites are hard at work to create a sacred community of justice and compassion. They have now been living in the wilderness for months. Although the Torah gave them guidelines to help them settle […]
Friday, January 28, 2022/26 Shevat, 5782 Parashat Mishpatim Exodus 21:1−24:18 Dear Friends, This week’s Torah portion, which immediately follows the giving of the Ten Commandments, continues the giving of laws. As we know, there are not only 10 commandments attributed to the Torah, but a total of 613. Mishpatim adds approximately 50 new laws or […]
Friday, January 21, 2022/19 Shevat, 5782 Parashat Yitro Exodus 18:1–20:23 Dear Friends, Forty-five days elapsed between the Israelites’ escape from Egypt to their arrival at Mt. Sinai. Those early days included too many trials, from fighting off the Amalekites to learning how to find the food and water they needed to sustain themselves. The Israelites […]
Friday, January 14, 2022/12 Shevat, 5782 Parashat B’shalach Exodus 13:17−17:16 Dear Friends, As a child, Jane Goodall developed a friendship with a tree in her backyard that she affectionately called “Beech.” She spent many afternoons climbing upon it, reading books under its leafy branches, and observing the life within. In this tree, she began to […]
Friday, January 7, 2022/5 Shevat, 5782 Parashat Bo Exodus 10:1-13:16 Dear Friends, Some prayers are so resonant that it is hard to imagine a service without them. Mi Sheberach is one such prayer, even though it didn’t exist in its current form until relatively recently. It originated as a communal blessing in Babylonia, in connection […]
Friday, December 31, 2021/27 Tevet, 5782 Parashat Va-eira Exodus 6:2−9:35 Dear Friends, This was not how Moses expected things to go. He had been comfortable in Midian as a shepherd, husband, and father. When God spoke to him from the burning bush, it wasn’t a given that Moses would heed God’s call and go back […]
Friday, December 24, 2021/20 Tevet, 5782 Parashat Sh’mot Exodus 1:1−6:1 Dear Friends, And just like that, more than 400 years have passed from the end of the Genesis, Joseph stories, and a new Pharaoh is ruling over Egypt, who did not know the name of Joseph. We find ourselves beginning the book of Shemot and […]
Friday, December 17, 2021/13 Tevet, 5782 Parashat Vayechi Genesis 47:28–50:26 Dear Friends, As Jacob reaches the end of his life in this week’s Torah portion, he gathers his sons around him. Recalling how his father Isaac offered blessings on his deathbed, Jacob feels inspired to do the same. Rather than offer a prayer only to […]
Friday, December 10, 2021/6 Tevet, 5782 Parashat Vayigash Genesis 44:18−47:27 Dear Friends, There are a few moments in the Torah overflowing with courage and vulnerability. One of them occurs in this week’s Torah portion, Vayigash. Joseph’s eleven brothers stand before him, unaware that he is the brother they once sold into slavery. As viceroy of […]
Friday, December 3, 2021/29 Kislev, 5782 Parashat Mikeitz Genesis 41:1−44:17 Dear Friends, Hanukkah is about far more than miraculous oil. Don’t get me wrong; the power of light amid darkened days is a symbol of our people’s resilience, hope, and faith. A deeper dive into the story reveals extra layers of meaning, from unlikely heroes […]
