By Rabbi Dale Schreiber
• Published August 24, 2016
The Book of Deuteronomy really could be called the Book of Departure, as the Israelites are about to cross into a new land. It is called D’varim in Hebrew. It means the Book of Words, or Things. It also is referred to as the Book of Admonishment because...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published August 17, 2016
The parashah begins with the clue-word, va-et-cha-nan — and I entreated or I implored or I prayed — who implored? Moses implored God at that time, saying such and such.I perched on the text, just there, with the first word, because it’s about Moses,...
By Rabbi Josef A. Davidson
• Published August 10, 2016
This week we begin the reading of the fifth book of the Torah, Devarim (“Words”), with the parashah of the same name. The format of this week’s parashah as well as the entire book of Devarim is that it is written in Moses’ words and not as if...
The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are something that I have been looking forward to for some time. The competition and sporting feats are intriguing and exciting to follow, but what also draws me to be a big fan is the “Olympic Spirit.” Every four...
By. Dr. Rabbi Ryan Dulkin
• Published July 18, 2012
Numbers ends in much the same way that it began: with a list of the princes of each tribe, standing on the plains of Moab, preparing to enter into the land promised to their ancestors. Numbers 34:17-19 states, “These are the names of the men who shall...
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
• Published July 4, 2012
In his new book “Moses: A Stranger Among Us,” ($19, Cascade Books, 164 pages), Rabbi Maurice D. Harris, a native of St. Louis, sets forth a fresh look at Moses, “from a progressive, pluralistic Jewish perspective.” Rabbi Harris himself is no...
Who among us hasn’t emerged from narrow straits? Is there anyone who hasn’t come through a fraught situation, maybe bruised but not beaten; blemished but not broken? Our Torah portion this week, Chukat, is famous for its enigmatic law of the Red Heifer....
Every so often, the people in the Torah pray. Maybe not as often as we might expect from such a holy text, but they pray, and sometimes with breathtaking intensity. Patriarchs and Matriarchs, lowly servants, great kings and humble shepherds, prophets...
As the fourth book of the Torah opens, God orders Moses and Aaron to take a census of the people, specifically those males who are of the age of conscription. The Israelites still have many challenges to face, as they continue their journey from Mount...
By Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose
• Published April 4, 2012
The Bible is an answer to the question: how to sanctify life. And if we say we feel no need for sanctification, we only prove that the Bible is indispensable. Because it is the Bible that teaches us how to feel the need for sanctification.” —Rabbi...
By Deborah Fineblum Raub, JointMedia News Service
• Published March 28, 2012
When you have youngsters from interfaith families at your seder table, it can’t help but up the Passover ante. Maybe you are the kids’ auntie, or their grandparent, cousin, neighbor or friend. And maybe, just maybe you’re their parent. Whatever...
Crises in faith — we all have them at one time or another. Each of us can become overwhelmed by life and what it often brings to us when we have other plans. These crises can come from many different sources — the loss of a job, the death of a loved...
