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

Each of us is an artist conjuring beauty, holiness

By Rabbi Elizabeth HershPublished February 29, 2024

Ki Tissa opens with God telling Moses to take a census of the Israelite people. Each shall contribute a half shekel. The wealthy should not pay more nor the less fortunate less. We read about details involving the priests as well as the commandment to...

The holiness in our DNA

Rabbi Josef DavidsonPublished February 21, 2024

Name tags: one either loves them or hates them; there is no in-between. Everyone, however, is in agreement that they serve a worthy purpose. Wearing a name tag alleviates the awkwardness that comes with recognizing the face but not the name. Name tags...

Spiritual Objectification: Understanding the sanctity within the heart

Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished February 15, 2024

In the portion Terumah, we encounter the first objectification of the spirit: The Sanctuary as it will house what was previously the unencumbered Spirit. God says, build the place out of Me: Make [of] Me a Mikdash/holy place, and I will dwell [Shakhanti/Shekhinah]...

Understanding Repro Shabbat

Understanding Repro Shabbat

By Rabbi Andrea GoldsteinPublished February 8, 2024

This Shabbat, many congregations in St. Louis and across the country will be celebrating Repro Shabbat, a Shabbat dedicated to lifting up the Jewish values of reproductive freedom and justice.  Repro Shabbat occurs annually when Jews around the world...

Exploring the power of words and the divine in everyday speech

Exploring the power of words and the divine in everyday speech

Rabbi Noah Arnow  Published January 29, 2024

How often do you mention God in your everyday speech?  Maybe more often than you might think.  God shows up frequently in our rote phrases. “God bless you,” after we sneeze. “Baruch HaShem,” “Blessed is the Name,” as an answer to “How...

Unveiling Moses leadership struggle: The power of listening

Unveiling Moses’ leadership struggle: The power of listening

By Rabbi Josef DavidsonPublished January 10, 2024

In this week’s Torah portion, Va’era, Moses is revisited by God after Moses’ message is rejected by the enslaved Israelites. When God instructs him to go a second time to deliver his message to Pharaoh as well, Moses complains, “The Israelites...

Let us try to recognize the awesome in 2024

By Cantor and Rabbi Ron EichakerPublished January 4, 2024

The Book of Exodus (the second of our Five Books) will contain some awesome events leading up to and following the revelation of the Law (Ten Commandments) to the Israelites. Looking closely at how this moment of awe is framed and presented, we start...

How to live forever —  a dvar Torah on Parashat Vayechi

‘How to live forever’ —  a d’var Torah on Parashat Vayechi

Rabbi James BennettPublished December 28, 2023

Do you want to live forever? Do you want to be remembered? Who are you and who do you wish to be? Questions such as these loom large in each of our lives as we move gracefully or otherwise through the passing years of our personal journeys. This year...

Joseph’s reunification with brothers marks a cinematic milestone

Joseph’s reunification with brothers marks a ‘cinematic milestone’

By Maharat Rori Picker NeissPublished December 21, 2023

Were I to be the director of the film version of our biblical stories, a moment in this week’s Torah portion would certainly be one that I would design as a climax.  We open with a speech by Judah, the longest oration in the Book of Genesis, as he...

As Joseph and our ancestors did, we keep the dream alive

As Joseph and our ancestors did, we keep the dream alive

RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished December 14, 2023

“And removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph’s hand; and he had him dressed in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” (Genesis 41:42) Joseph arrived in Egypt as a slave and rose to the second...

Joseph’s story amazes, with or without the dreamcoat

Joseph’s story amazes, with or without the dreamcoat

Rabbi Michael AlperPublished December 7, 2023

For the past 15 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside my wife. People often ask us whether it’s difficult to live and work together, and the truth is I really can’t imagine it any other way. We both like to talk about everything from...

In Judaism, faith is fed by questions, challenges

By Rabbi Brigitte RosenbergPublished November 30, 2023

Occasionally there are moments in Torah that are extremely difficult, and this week’s parashah, Vayishlach, offers us one such moment. Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, is noticed by Shechem, a prince of the area, and the text tells us that...

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