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A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

Dvar Torah

Rachel LaVictoire,  is a recipient of the prestigious Nemerov Writing and Thomas H. Eliott Merit scholarships at Washington University, where she is a sophomore. She grew up in Atlanta, where she is an active member of Temple Emanu-El and the Marcus Jewish Community Center.

D’var Torah: Parashat Vayeira

BY RACHEL LAVICTOIREPublished October 17, 2013

Did you know… -     Breakfast, as we understand it today, didn’t exist for a large part of history. In fact, ancient Romans saw it as gluttonous to eat more than one meal a day.-     My high school in Atlanta is five hundred and fifty-five...

Rabbi Jim Bennett

Why God responded to the cry of the boy Ishmael

By Rabbi Jim BennettPublished October 16, 2013

 “God heard the cry of the boy, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the cry of the boy (Ishmael) where he is” (Genesis 21:17) The Torah speaks powerfully...

Rachel LaVictoire,  is a recipient of the prestigious Nemerov Writing and Thomas H. Eliott Merit scholarships at Washington University, where she is a sophomore. She grew up in Atlanta, where she is an active member of Temple Emanu-El and the Marcus Jewish Community Center.

D’var Torah: Abram’s physical and metaphorical journey

By Rachel LaVictoirePublished October 11, 2013

Total belief and devotion to G-d and to Judaism is probably one of the only concepts that’s easier for a child than for an adult. When we’re young, it’s simple; the logic is so cut and dry: We know G-d exists because… (1) People have been believing...

Rabbi Amy Feder

Following Abram’s brave example

BY RABBI AMY FEDERPublished October 9, 2013

Last week, an article in the New York Times presented the findings of a recent survey of American Jews (see related story on Page One). The results, while complicated, were presented with a simple, dire proclamation: American Jews are losing their religion. ...

Rachel LaVictoire, 18, is a recipient of the prestigious Nemerov Writing and Thomas H. Elliott Merit scholarships at Washington University, where she is a freshman. She grew up in Atlanta, where she is an active member of Temple Emanu-El and the Marcus Jewish Community Center.
Rachel will be contributing regular commentaries and d’var Torah reflections, which will be posted on the Jewish Light’s website,  stljewishlight.com — some of which will also be included in the Jewish Light’s print editions.

Remembering Rabbi Don Isaac Abravanel

By Rachel LaVictoirePublished October 3, 2013

This week, we read parshat Noach, the second parshah of the Torah. It’s a well known story: G-d saw that the people of the earth had been corrupted, so He instructed Noah to build in ark, inside which Noah, his family, and the animals would be protected...

Rabbi Dale Schreiber, rabbinic chaplain at Barnes Jewish

Sacred inheritance for humankind

BY RABBI DALE SCHREIBERPublished October 2, 2013

We are hardly through the wonder of creation when the biblical narrative tells us that creation had failed to live up to its potential.  The fundamental nature of human life remained at a bestial level.  It was a failed experiment requiring a new paradigm. ...

In the beginning

By Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished September 25, 2013

I studied the book Bahir (often translated as the Book of Brightness or Illumination) with Dr. I. O. Lehman, of blessed memory, who taught five of us in a secret class at the Hebrew Union College. In those days, Hebrew Union College was not known for...

Finding shelter in wilderness

BY RABBI JOSEF DAVIDSONPublished September 18, 2013

Over my life I have made 16 moves for an average of a move every four years.  The longest that I have ever lived in one house is eleven years, and the longest that I have ever resided in one city was 14.  The shortest residence I ever had was eight...

Rachel LaVictoire

At the New Year, resolve to live a more authentic life

By Rachel LaVictoirePublished August 29, 2013

Here we are once again. The time to welcome in the Jewish New Year has come. During moments such as these, when we embark on something new, we first tend to undergo some form of reflection—we look back past events and set new goals for the future. We...

Parashat Ki Tavo: Wandering, gratitude and generosity

By Rabbi Jim BennettPublished August 21, 2013

By Rabbi Jim BennettMy father was a wandering pathologist; we moved five times during my childhood, as my father chose to leave his family medical practice and return to medical school and a residency in pathology, and then pursued his career as a clinical...

Rabbi Dale Schreiber

Book of Deuteronomy’s message for this week: ‘Pay attention’

By Rabbi Dale SchreiberPublished August 14, 2013

We are nearing the final chapters in the Book of Deuteronomy.  This year, Deuteronomy feels a bit like a Jewish insurance policy.   Moses, the agent, is renewing the policy, reminding us how we got here, before Whom we stand, what the operations manual...

Rachel LaVictoire

Seeking Jewish ancestry of new British Prince

By Rachel LaVictoirePublished August 7, 2013

On June 22, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed into the world their first child, George Alexander Louis. The newborn son of Kate Middleton and Prince William is currently third in the line of succession to the British throne, third in line to...

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