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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

Brigitte S. Rosenberg is senior rabbi at United Hebrew Congregation.

Parashat Pinchas: Lay your hand — kindle flames

By Rabbi Brigitte S. RosenbergPublished July 27, 2016

What would you do if one day you were told: “It is your time to die, get your affairs in order.”  What would you be thinking about? What would you want to get done? Need to get done? Can you even imagine how you would feel?In this week’s parashah,...

Rabbi James Bennett serves Congregation Shaare Emeth and is president of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association.

When passion turns to extremism

By Rabbi James BennettPublished July 20, 2016

When does passion turn to extremism? Sometimes it catches us by surprise. This week’s Torah portion, Balak, plays out this drama before our eyes. The narrative and poetry weave the tale of Balaam, a foreign prophet hired by Balak, the king of Moab,...

Rabbi Tracy Nathan is a Community Chaplain with Jewish Family & Children’s Service and teaches at B’nai Amoona, Kol Rinah, and Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School.

D’var Torah: ‘Spring up, O Well!’

By Rabbi Tracy NathanPublished July 13, 2016

In Parashat Hukkat, our sages read the absence of water that follows Miriam’s death as alluding to the drying up of the well that traveled with the Israelites throughout their journeys, given as a gift in merit of Miriam (Bavli Talmud Ta’anit 9a).What...

Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael is community chaplain with Jewish Family & Children’s Service in St. Louis.

Don’t let fears silence voices of hope

By Rabbi Micah Buck-YaelPublished June 29, 2016

“Stop,” I’ve said. “You’re climbing too high!” “Don’t play with that, it’s sharp!” “You could get lost in those woods!” I’ve even said, to my embarrassment, things the really boil down to, “Careful! Don’t try that, the...

Rabbi Lane Steinger serves Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community in St. Louis.

In lifting others, we, too, shine

By Rabbi Lane SteingerPublished June 22, 2016

The Israelites still are in the Wilderness. They still are preparing to inaugurate usage of the Mishkan/Dwelling-place, the portable wilderness Sanctuary or Tabernacle. Our Torah portion opens with these words: “The Eternal spoke to Moses as follows....

Rabbi Randy Fleisher serves Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis.

Walking the path of holiness

By Rabbi Randy FleisherPublished June 15, 2016

In Naso, we learn about the laws of the Nazirites, individuals who vow to live a certain portion of their lives with a heightened attention to holiness. I have long been fascinated by this phenomenon, most notably because as part of their vow, the Nazirites...

Rabbi Roxanne J.S. Shapiro, RJE, serves as Rabbi and Director of Life Long Learning at United Hebrew Congregation.  She is the Treasurer of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association and the Chair of the St. Louis Education Directors’ Council. 

Choice of words raises questions

By Rabbi Roxanne J.S. ShapiroPublished June 8, 2016

In our Torah portion, B’midbar, we find the Children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. In fact, our Hebrew name for the portion has a different meaning than that of the English.  In Hebrew, B’midbar refers to the “Wilderness” (or desert),...

Maharat Rori Picker Neiss is executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis.

Reflecting on our place in the world

By Maharat Rori Picker NeissPublished May 25, 2016

In a world in which we value action, speed, productivity and rapid-fire response, perhaps the most incredible thing to ask of a person is to simply stop.Yet, that is exactly what the Torah commands us to do.In this week’s Torah portion, we are commanded...

Rabbi Josef A. Davidson serves Congregation B’nai Amoona.

Holiness as personal responsibility

By Rabbi Josef A. DavidsonPublished May 4, 2016

In his most famous work, “The Dybbuk,” Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport, the Jewish Russian author who wrote under the pseudonym of S. Ansky, created a character named Rabbi Azriel, who taught the following with regard to the holy confluence of time, person,...

Rabbi Hyim Shafner serves Bais Abraham Congregation.

Seder mirrors breakup, redemption of family

By Rabbi Hyim ShafnerPublished April 28, 2016

Passover is about relationships.  Over and over, the Torah expresses the Passover Seder in intergenerationally related terms, such as:  “When your child shall ask you, ‘What is this service’ ” and, “And you shall say to them, ‘With a strong...

Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael is Community Chaplain with Jewish Family & Children’s Service.

How we tell the story

By Rabbi Micah Buck-YaelPublished April 21, 2016

“Our tale begins in degradation and ends in praise.”This is more or less the entire original seder “script” outlined in the Mishnah nearly 2,000 years ago. It outlines not only the story of Exodus, but also a way of looking at Jewish and divine...

Rabbi Lane Steinger serves Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community.

The Great Sabbath: All Sabbaths are great

BY RABBI LANE STEINGERPublished April 13, 2016

We conclude this week with a special Shabbat, Shabbat Ha-gadol/The Great Sabbath, the Shabbat that precedes Passover.The name Shabbat Ha-gadol is derived from Malachi 3:4-4:24, the Haftarah, or reading from the Prophets, for this Shabbat, which declares,...

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