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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

Rabbi Amy Feder

D’var Torah: Moses sets the standard for living our best selves 

Rabbi Amy Feder Published August 12, 2022

At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Moses has finally led the Israelites across the wilderness and he turns his eyes to gaze on the Promised Land. It seems as if it should be a joyous moment, but we know that it’s actually bittersweet,...

Rabbi James Stone Goodman

D’var Torah: Our shalom is broken; we look for connection

RABBI JAMES STONE GOODMANPublished July 21, 2022

We are dreaming peace all the time now, the evidence of that broken letter vavin the word shalom of briti shalom, covenant of peace, in Numbers 25:12, that may be what's holding it up. The vav in shalom is broken. Let's fix the vav in the...

Torah gives us all a chance to be included in creating the sacred

Torah gives us all a chance to be included in creating the sacred

RABBI CARNIE SHALOM ROSEPublished June 16, 2022

“And the Almighty spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand.” (Numbers 8:1-2) All too often, I hear from my students about how “irrelevant and anachronistic”...

D'var Torah: We have a duty to act for justice in the world

D’var Torah: We have a duty to act for justice in the world

RABBI JEFFREY ABRAHAMPublished March 17, 2022

Turbulent times demand that we take action. Parashat Tzav follows Purim by one day, both of which “demand action.” In the Megillah, Haman reveals his diabolical plan to exterminate the Jews of Persia, and Mordechai instructs Esther to immediately...

Portrait of Rabbi Josef Davidson

D’var Torah by Rabbi Josef Davidson: Creating community

RABBI JOSEF DAVIDSONPublished March 10, 2022

With this week's Torah portion the third book of the Torah, Vayikra ("[God] called [to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting]..."), is read. Vayikra is also called Torat Cohanim in Hebrew, which corresponds to the name most commonly known, "Leviticus."...

Rabbi Neal Rose

D’var Torah: Judaism recognizes power of coming together as community

RABBI NEAL ROSEPublished March 3, 2022

The late Rabbi Bernard Lipnick kept a plaque on his desk that read, “No One of us is smarter than All of us.” In this week’s Torah reading we hear about the final stages in the construction of the portable sanctuary known as the Mishkan or the...

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