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 Yosef Landa, director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis, speaks at a community gathering on Sunday organized by Jewish Federation of St. Louis and the Jewish Community Relations Council after the shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in California.  Photo: Eric Berger 

Faith leaders urge redoubling of fight against anti-Semitism, bigotry

By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 1, 2019

The St. Louis Jewish community is mourning with others across the country in the wake of a fatal shooting Saturday during worship at a Southern California synagogue.“We cannot offer a deeper meaning. We are not even sure we know how to offer consolation,”...

Rabbi Amy Feder

Traditions enrich Passover, no matter how long it lasts

By Rabbi Amy FederPublished April 25, 2019

The Torah portion for this week is Pesach (final day), which leads to the inevitable question: Just when is the final day of Pesach?  The Torah is clear: Pesach begins on the 15th day of Nisan and lasts seven days. Which sounds cut and dried, but only...

Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael is the coordinator of community chaplaincy at Jewish Family & Children’s Service and a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, which coordinates the weekly d’var Torah for the Jewish Light. 

Moses, Aaron model formula for leadership

BY RABBI MICAH BUCK-YAELPublished February 14, 2019

Parashat Tetzavah forms the middle of a lengthy multiweek set of instructions given to the Israelites for the construction of God’s dwelling place. God speaks to Moses, and outlines in precise and sometimes difficult-to-follow language every possible...

Rabbi Tracy Nathan

Our generation of the flood has chance to speak

BY RABBI TRACY NATHANPublished October 11, 2018

I once shared Shabbat with a friend who had also invited several environmentalists. Someone raised a question to the group: What was or is your greatest environmental sin? I sat in the corner with a friend, bonding over our embarrassment at our lack of...

Mira Davis is cantorial intern at Congregation B’nai Amoona and is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, which coordinates the weekly d’var Torah for the Jewish Light. 

The Divine plan for the Jewish people

BY MIRA DAVISPublished August 30, 2018

In this week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, Moses instructs the Israelites on the laws surrounding the bikkurim, the first fruits. He tells the people, “When you come in to the Land … you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the Land … and put it...

Maharat Rori Picker Neiss

The road leads forward, never back

By Maharat Rori Picker NeissPublished June 7, 2018

Hidden away amid the famous story in this week’s Torah portion of the spies sent to scout the land of Israel, and tucked behind the suspense and drama of false testimony, communal wailing and the punishment of 40 years wandering the desert, we find...

Rabbi Scott Shafrin 

Reading and feeling the signs, and moving on

BY RABBI SCOTT SHAFRINPublished May 30, 2018

People often ask me how I chose to be a rabbi. For many, if not most, the decision to lead a life of religious service is at least a little odd. “There must be a story,” a neighbor of mine said recently.Often, however, my story is a letdown. Making...

Blessings from a place of peace and love

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished May 23, 2018

 The Priestly Benediction (Birkat ha-Kohanim) that we find in this week’s Torah portion, Naso, is my favorite blessing. In the words of Rabbi Steven Kushner, “Here the ultimate blessing is to be in perfect harmony with the Holy One.” This is “where...

Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael is coordinator of community chaplaincy at Jewish Family & Children’s Service and a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association. 

Torah demands whole and holy leaders

BY RABBI MICAH BUCK-YAELPublished May 3, 2018

Parashat Emor opens with a list of laws and regulations that outline differences between the Temple Priests and the rest of the community: The priests must mourn differently, marry differently, treat their bodies differently and fiercely guard the ritual...

Rabbi James Stone Goodman created Shalvah, an outreach on addictions, as a project of Congregation Neve Shalom. Neve Shalom also sponsors the Jewish Prison Outreach and JAMI StL, a compassionate approach to mental illness.

Lift up the remains of yesterday

BY RABBI JAMES STONE GOODMANPublished March 22, 2018

It starts with a command: Tzav. Same root as mitzvah. Here, though, there is an extra urgency. The voice of the Talmud came to me in my morning meditation. Extra urgency, Tzav, hurry! Do this thing.What thing? Lift up the ashes, thus says your Torah....

St. Louis Rabbinical Association selects new officers

Published July 27, 2017

The St. Louis Rabbinical Association (SLRA) has elected Rabbi Noah Arnow as its new president. Arnow serves as the Senior Rabbi at Kol Rinah.  Other officers elected by the rabbis for the 2017-2018 year were Rabbi Roxanne Shapiro of United Hebrew Congregation...

Rabbi Dale Schreiber is a chaplain providing Jewish care  coordination for Pathways Hospice and Palliative Care and has a private practice, Renewal-in-Action, specializing in resiliency, spiritual development and compassion fatigue recovery.

Listen to voices of wisdom and experience

By Rabbi Dale SchreiberPublished June 15, 2017

Shelach Lecha is the fourth portion in the fourth book of Torah, called Numbers or Bamidbar. God tells Moses, shelach lecha, send for yourself spies to check out what I’ve already told you is a good land. So Moses, at God’s request, deployed 12 sons...

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