• Lessons from Vayera on Humility and Unity

    “The signature of God is truth.” -Talmud Shabbat 55a “It is better to be kind than to be right.” -Anne Lamont In this week’s Parsha, Vayera, the Master of the Universe tells a lie: “Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I…

  • Building a Culture of Community

    Every shul describes itself as “warm and welcoming.” All too often though this means that communities work hard to welcome those they want to welcome, those that fit in. A culture of welcoming is one in which welcoming is so ingrained and lauded that it is viewed as the most important Jewish characteristic. That anyone…

  • Abraham and Sara’s Tent

    In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion (Vayara) we find Abraham talking to G-d. Suddenly he sees three nomads coming toward him. Immediately Abraham runs out to greet them, brings them into his open tent and cooks them a meal. (It is this preoccupation with over feeding people that deems him the first Jew.)…

  • The True Test of Abraham’s Faith

    In this week’s Torah portion, Vayera Avrohom faces the most difficult of his ten tests, to sacrifice his child.  The Akedah is perhaps the most perplexing chapter in the Torah.  How could Avrohom agree to do what was forbidden?  When Cain killed Abel it can be argued that Cain did not know it was wrong.…

  • The Passing of a Divine Tradition

    This week’s Torah portion, Chayeh Sara, “The life of Sara”, begins with Sara’s death which follows the story of the akedah, binding of Isaac, at the end of last week’s portion.  Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known as RASHI, a famous 11th century French commentator on the Torah is bothered by the strange juxtaposition of the almost…

  • Eliezer’s Sign and the Role of Divine Guidance

    In this week’s Torah portion, Chayeh Sarah, Avrohom’s wife has died.  Avrohom buries her, and then sends his servant Eliezer to the eastern side of the Jordan River where Avrohom is from, to look for a wife for Yitzchak.  Eliezer famously makes a deal with God, a sign by which he will know the right…

  • How Law and Narrative Shape Our Tradition

    In this week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sara, Sarah dies and Avraham then appoints Eliezer – his servant – to find a wife for Yitzchak. The Torah describes in great detail the trip Eliezer takes and how he finds Rivka for Yitzchak. Rash”i is bothered by the long detailed depiction of Eliezer’s trip, and then the…

  • Jewish Unity: The Antidote to Antisemitism

    This past Shabbat, the Jewish community experienced the largest killing of Jews on American soil; murdered because they were Jews. We know well from Jewish history that whether or not we see ourselves as one, those who want to kill us certainly do. If we fight among ourselves, reject each other as illegitimate, or demonize…

  • How the Torah Tells the Jewish People’s Story

    In this week’s Torah portion, Chayeh Sarah, Sarah dies and Avrohom then appoints Eliezer his servant to find a wife for yitzchak.  The Torah describes in great detail the trip Eliezer takes and how he finds Rivka for Yitzchak.   Rash”i is bothered by the long detailed depiction of Eliezer’s trip and then the almost verbatim…

  • Exploring the Human Connection to Creation in Bereshit

    This week’s parsha, Bereshit, describes, among other things, the creation of the world. The creation story is partly confusing, sometimes repetitive, and seemingly missing information. Thus it makes sense that according to many classical commentaries the Torah’s creation story is not literal, but rather its purpose is to teach us important lessons and foundational concepts,…

  • The True Challenge of the Akedah

    In this week’s Torah portion, Vayera Avrohom faces the most difficult of his ten tests, to sacrifice his child.  The Akedah is perhaps the most perplexing chapter in the Torah.  How could Avrohom agree to do what was forbidden?  When Cain killed Abel it can be argued that Cain did not know it was wrong.…

  • How Yaakov’s Flexibility Can Inspire Our Community

    In this week’s parsha, Toldot, the Torah tells us Rivka gave birth to two twin brothers, Yaakov and Esav.  Esav was a hairy person, a hunter and a man of the field and forest.  Jacob was “ish tam,” “a simple man who dwelled in the tent.”  Rash”i says “ish tam” means, “Someone who says what…

  • Navigating Tradition and Change

    The Voice of Women in Holy Song and Prayer In the beginning of this past week’s Torah portion,Toldot, the Torah writes, “These are the generations of Isaac…” Surprisingly, we are told in the next verse that there are no generations, that Rivka, like each of our ancestors, was  barren.  The Torah comes to describe the…

  • Embracing Both Tradition and Intellectual Inquiry

    In this week’s parsha God tells Yitzchak He will bless him, “because Avrohom listened to My voice, and guarded my commandments and my Torah.”   According to Rash”i this verse tells us that Avrohom actually kept the entire Torah even though it was not yet commanded.   The Kabbalah says that this was possible since…

  • Unlocking Holiness: The Power of Patience and Faith in Others

    In this week’s torah portion, Toldot, Rebecca the wife of Isaac is pregnant with twins who are struggling and moving within her womb a great deal.  She was extremely disturbed by this and went “to seek out G-d” for an explanation.  She was told there are “two nations in your womb…and the elder shall serve…

  • Seeing Beyond the Surface

    The Torah is multifaceted.  There are narratives and sub narratives, seeming non-sequiturs, repetitions, and juxtapositions, all of which from a traditional point of view, we believe are significant and rich grist for the interpretive mill.  In the story of Abraham’s family, I detect an interesting, seemingly subversive, sub-narrative. In Parshat Lech Licha, Yitzchak is clearly…

  • Embracing Tradition and Reason in a Modern World

    In this week’s parsha God tells Yitzchak He will bless him, “because Avrohom listened to My voice, and guarded my commandments and my Torah.”   According to Rash”i this verse tells us that Avrohom actually kept the entire Torah even though it was not yet commanded.   The Kabbalah says that this was possible since…

  • The Nighttime Prayer: Transforming Darkness into Light

    The Talmud writes that we learn to pray three times a day from both the sacrifices in the Temple and from our Avot, Avrohom, Yitzchak and Yaakov.  Avrohom stood before god just after the destruction of Sodom, and the Talmud says “standing” means prayer.  Reguarding Yitzchak the Torah tells us, “And Yitzchak went out to…

  • Protecting Our Community in Times of Uncertainty

    This coming week the Mayor of Washington, D.C. will lift the mandatory mask mandate.  According to the Mayor, the city is getting out of the business of mandates and leaving it up to individuals, organizations and businesses to make decisions regarding the best way to protect themselves and their constituents, utilizing “layered mitigation strategies.”  …

  • Embracing Light and Darkness in Jewish Tradition

    One of Judaism’s greatest strengths is its ability to utilize every emotion.  For example, many people try to avoid sadness, but Judaism has a day, Tisha B’av, entirely focused on a sadness so deep that we sit on the ground and cry, feeling as if we have lost a loved one.  Purim, in contrast, utilizes…