Friday, June 4, 2021/24 Sivan, 5781 Parashat Sh’lach L’cha Numbers 13:1−15:41 Dear Friends, “Mom, why do you have so many names?” my children asked when they were young. They called me mommy, friends and family called me Cassi, and when I was in temple, people called me Rabbi. How could it be that I had […]
Friday, May 28, 2021/17 Sivan, 5781 Parashat B’haalot’cha Numbers 8:1−12:16 Dear Friends, Have you ever wondered why the Menorah, the 7-branch candelabra, is so significant in Jewish life? Some say that it represents the 7 days of the week, with the taller in the middle being Shabbat. Others suggest that the 3 branches on one […]
Friday, May 21, 2021/10 Sivan, 5781 Parashat Naso Numbers 4:21−7:89 Dear Friends, After two weeks of conflict, we are grateful that an Israel-Hamas ceasefire is finally in effect, and we pray that it holds. These past two weeks have been painful. Many of us have loved ones in Israel or Gaza who feared for their […]
Friday, May 14, 2021/3 Sivan, 5781 Parashat B’midbar Numbers 1:1−4:20 Dear Friends, For seven weeks, many of us have gathered every morning for prayer, community, and reflection. We began during Passover when we celebrated our liberation from Egyptian bondage. Sunday morning will be our last day counting the omer – the days between our Exodus […]
Friday, May 7, 2021/25 Iyar, 5781 Parashat B’har-B’chukotai Leviticus 25:1-27:34 There is no hope unmingled with fear, and no fear unmingled with hope. – Spinoza This week we conclude the book of Leviticus with a double Torah portion called B’har-B’chukotai. It begins with a discussion of shmita, a practice of letting the land lay fallow […]
Friday, April 30, 2021/18 Iyar, 5781 Parashat Emor Leviticus 21:1−24:23 Dear Friends, Today is meant to be a day of celebration. After marking the days between Passover and Shavuot for four and a half weeks, we arrive at Lag B’omer. This lesser-known holiday is filled with picnics, bonfires, learning, music, and dancing. Many people get […]
Friday, April 23, 2021/11 Iyar, 5781 Parashat Acharei Mot – K’doshim Leviticus 16:1-20:27 Dear Friends, This week’s Torah portion, Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, holds some of the most important, some may even say central lessons of the Torah. This description is very appropriate, as this is the exact center of the Torah scroll. Well, at least that’s […]
Friday, April 16, 2021/4 Iyar, 5781 Parashat Tazria-M’tzora Leviticus 12:1-15:33 Dear Friends, Early in the pandemic, we reached this week’s Torah portion, Tazria-M’tzora, which discusses the proper ways to respond when people were afflicted with a contagious skin disease called Tzaraat. The Torah explains that when someone displayed symptoms, they would report them to the […]
Friday, April 9, 2021/27 Nisan, 5781 Parashat Sh’mini Leviticus 9:1-11:47 Dear Friends, A year ago, Abby Imley was preparing to become a Bat Mitzvah. She knew her Torah portion, her prayers, and the service’s choreography. She had studied Torah and composed a D’var Torah she was prepared to share with the community. When the pandemic […]
Friday, April 2, 2021/20 Nisan, 5781 Parashat Yom Sh’vi-i shel Pesah Exodus 14:30–15:21 Dear Friends, Transgender Day of Visibility took place on Wednesday, in the middle of the holiday of Passover. It occurred amidst a flurry of anti-transgender legislation moving through state legislatures, banning transgender children from receiving the life-affirming health care they need or […]
