“Song of Songs,” (1960) Panel III, Marc Chagall National Museum, Nice, France. Passover has many beloved traditions. The holiday begins with the gathering of families and the reading of the Haggadah. Soon as Pesach ends, traditional Jews begin studying Pirkei Avot “Ethics of the Fathers” (or, alternatively, “Principle Teachings”), a...
This coming weekend is an auspicious time for Jews the world over! This Shabbat is called Shabbat Hagadol/The Great Shabbat! The requisite Torah portion is Tzav, the second Sidrah in the book of VaYikra/Leviticus. At the end of Shabbat on Saturday evening, we go directly into the Passover Seder! And...
I am no longer surprised by reports of mass shootings in this country, nor am I numb to the human tragedy experienced by so many. America suffers from a deep sickness, a perverse reverence of high-powered firearms, an insane veneration of machismo and an insatiable capacity to hate. Mass shootings...
After a year of celebrating Jewish holidays in our homes, we are finally getting ready to march out of Egypt and leave those pesky plague/plagues behind. After a year of virtual celebrations, many of us have been immunized, and we are ready to step outside our homes and begin gathering...
This week’s Torah portion is a double one: Vayakhel-Pekudei Exodus 35:1–40:38. These portions are a continuation of the description of the building of the “Mishkan-“our sacred place where God dwells within. Four parshas of the Torah focus on the building of the “mishkan” whereas one parsha focuses on the creation of...
In my continuing effort to share information on Social Justice issues from the Religious Action Center (RAC), I would like to welcome you all to the month of March, and the celebration of Women’s History Month. Growing out of the celebration of ‘International Women’s Day’ first commemorated in 1913, President...
Years ago, I read a description of Judaism as a two-part system: yiddishkeit (Jewishness) and mentschlichkeit (humanitarianism). Yiddishkeit, of course, refers to all our particular Jewish activities like keeping Shabbat, Purim, and Passover, et al. Mentschlichkeit refers to Judaism’s ethical system and is extensively addressed in the Torah and throughout...
It has been a long time coming. On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, I was scheduled for a regular doctor’s appointment including my annual fall flu shot. Little did I know that my whole life was going to change and that after a single “listen” on the stethoscope, I would be...
The tradition of a Purim Shpiel dates back to from the fifteenth century (or earlier), and they have an important place in Jewish history. Purim Shpiels not only bring us some comic relief, but they also tell the Purim story with historical reference and cultural flavor. From a Purim Shpiel...
The portion Terumah contains several ideas that are incredibly relevant to us today. This Shabbat we are reading the seventh portion of Sh’mot/Exodus. The dramatic and momentous events of the previous weeks’ Sidrot/portions have now happened. The disparate collection of former slaves have come together as Am Yisrael, the Nation...
