(JTA) — From the wizardry of Harry Potter that echoes with Passover’s themes to a cartoon frog who wisecracks his way through the seder, this year’s new crop of Passover books for kids offers something for all ages and interests.The selection of...

As one enters many synagogues throughout the country, even throughout the world, one notices that they have something in common. Plaques are on everything! I remember that after my grandmother died, my father and his family endowed the religious school...

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa, includes the infamous tale of golden calf. While Moses is atop Mount Sinai, the Israelites make for themselves an idol to worship, one that they can see and touch, one made by the work of their own hands.This triggers...

In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Terumah, Moses has just ascended Mount Sinai after the saying of the aseret hadibrot, Ten Commandments, and G-d now commands Moses to tell the Jewish People to collect funds for the building of the Mishkan...

This week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim, literally means “laws,” and contains a large array of interpersonal civil commandments and regulations. Just before this portion, the Torah teaches about the building of an altar to G-d. The altar, which symbolizes...

Parashat Yitro is the ideal reading for a discussion about leadership and delegation. Moses’ father-in-law, Yitro, brings Zipporah and her two sons to Moses in the wilderness. After a reunion that involves sharing the accomplishments made only through...

B’shalach is the fourth of 11 chapters in the Book of Exodus. It describes the Israelites ascent out of Egypt and records the dramatic happenings in the aftermath of the death of Egypt’s first born. B’shalach begins in chaos at the Red Sea and...

Growing up in Denver, one of my favorite places to visit was Cave of the Winds just outside Colorado Springs.Overcoming my claustrophobia, I found the stalactites and stalagmites fascinating, with their beautiful shapes and colors created from dripping...

In 1853, Theodore Parker, an abolitionist and advocate for women’s suffrage and a Unitarian minister, preached these words: “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate...

Shemot, one of the most well-known and beloved passages of Torah, is this week’s Torah portion. Shemot begins the saga of our people that has become a foundational text for generations of people of faith. These words carry a universal message about...