Going forward: an act of hope
Beshalach - Exodus: 13:17-17:16
February 1, 2012
To paraphrase the old saying, God could take the Israelites out of Egypt, but He couldn’t take Egypt out of the Israelites. Read More
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Beyond Moses
Bo - Exodus: 10:1-13:16
January 25, 2012
Our sedra features one of the most troubling episodes in all of Torah: the so-called despoiling of the Egyptians. Back in Exodus, chapter 3, the Israelites are promised they will leave Egypt not just with their freedom but with great wealth. “You shall strip the Egyptians bare,” goes the promise, in colloquial English of today. Read More
Being both
Va’era - Exodus: 6:2-9:35
January 17, 2012
The opening chapters of Shemot (Exodus) are full of dramatic events sweeping across a range of experience. Shemot opens with a rapid narration beginning with the birth of Moses, the story of his rescue from the Nile, and his move into the royal palace of Pharaoh, whose own daughter adopts the infant. Read More
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It’s all in the effort
Shemot - Exodus 1:1-6:1
January 11, 2012
One day, Moses is tending his father-in-law’s sheep when he comes to Mount Horeb and God speaks to him from a burning thornbush: “Come...I will send you to Pharaoh and you shall free My people, the Israelites, from Egypt.” Read More
Universal march of progress and understanding
Vayehi - Genesis 47:28-50:26
January 4, 2012
Few biblical prophecies have generated as much heat as this week’s blessing of Judah. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.” The verse following, however, adds the caveat, ad sheyavo shiloh, and therein lies the problem. Read More
Divine intervention in history
Vayigash - Genesis 44:18-47:27
December 28, 2011
One thought preoccupied me as I made my way to the weekly session of the class I was teaching on basic Jewish concepts in the book of Genesis. I knew that this was the next-to-last class and I would soon have to say goodbye to Leon, Richard, and Simon. Read More
Protecting children
Miketz - Genesis 41:1-44:17
December 21, 2011
When children learn the Ten Commandments, they often ask why there is no commandment for parents to honor their children. The simple answer is that it’s not necessary. Read More
The sin of moral relativity
Vayeshev - Genesis 37:1-40:23
December 14, 2011
The Joseph story is one of the Bible’s finest literary achievements. The sedras that make up its chapters end at moments of tension that make it practically impossible to wait for the next installment. Read More
Brotherly ‘us vs. them’
Vayishlach - Genesis 32:4-36:43
December 7, 2011
In this week’s Torah reading, the reunion of the estranged siblings Jacob and Esau finally occurs. Read More
Power of the past
Vayetze - Genesis 28:10-32:3
November 30, 2011
At the end of the 20 years that Jacob spent in the home of his uncle Lavan, where he married two wives and acquired two concubines, fathered 11 sons and a daughter, and obtained great wealth, God tells him it is time to return home to Canaan. Read More
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Candle Lighting Time
17th of Sh'vat, 5772
February 10 2011 | 5:07 p.m.
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