In college, I was part of a martial arts collective in which we began and ended our practice in a circle. Rather than sit in a line in belt order, we sat in a circle with the most advanced next to the least advanced, black belt adjacent to white belt....
By Rabbi Ari Shachar
• Published September 24, 2014
The “Days of Awe,” between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, constitute a liminal space – an “in-between” place where the possibility of transformation lies. The Sabbath that falls during these 10...
By Rabbi Josef Davidson
• Published September 17, 2014
Nitzavim/Veyelech is a very special Torah portion for me, as Shabbat Nitzavim was the day on which I was called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah. In many ways, it was one of the greatest spiritual experiences of my life, and my becoming a rabbi may be, in...
By Maharat Rori Picker Neiss
• Published September 11, 2014
As the Israelites prepare to enter the Land of Israel in this week＊s parsha, Parshat Ki Tavo, Moses continues his directive to them of all the mitzvot that will be incumbent upon them in the land. The parsha opens: When you enter the land that the...
By Rabbi Ari KaimanThe word “today” is mentioned a total of eight times in Parashat Re’eh. This is how that parasha opens,“See, today I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin...
We all want to give our children better than what we had for ourselves. It is a natural inclination. We work hard in order that those who follow after us should not know the same struggles that we faced. We hope that the fears and uncertainties we have...
By Rabbi Josef Davidson
• Published August 7, 2014
We have fasted; we have prayed; we have mourned the destruction of the Temple, the exile of our people and the calamities that followed as a result of our powerlessness. Tisha B’av was an opportunity to begin the process of collective self-examination...
This summer I’ve had the incredible opportunity to spend time in St. Louis, as the Rabbi Bernard Lipnick Summer Rabbinic Intern at Congregation B’nai Amoona. I just returned from a year studying in Jerusalem, and so it should come as no surprise that...
In this week’s Torah portion, Masei, Moses stands on the eastern banks of the Jordan River with Jewish people before they enter the land of Israel. Moses reviews and writes down all of the stops that the Jewish people had made during their travels...
By Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg
• Published July 16, 2014
For the past few weeks, many of us have sat glued to the news and checked social media regularly, all in an effort to hear news of the goings on in Israel. Whether we have friends and family who live there or are visiting, or we know no one currently...
This commentary is dedicated to Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi – now of blessed memory. He was laid to rest July 4, 2014. His approach to Judaism ignited and reignited a passion for deep exploration of our sources and traditions. He modeled a spiritually...
There is an old cliché that continues to ring true: One can attract more bees with honey than with vinegar. It is a lesson that seems to be lost on the title character of this week’s Torah portion, Balak.Balak, the king of Moab at the time that our...
