Academy for Jewish Religion

Parashat Shelah – 5785

A D’var Torah for Parashat Shelah

By Hazzan Rabbi Luis Cattan

Nahbi and Geuel had grown up in the brickyards of Egypt, where children learned to whisper dreams only in the dark. They shared the same clay dust, the same lash, the same bitter herbs—but never friendship. Nahbi, son of Vophsi of the tribe of Naphtali, was careful and calculating, known for his smooth tongue and cautious mind. Geuel, son of Makhi from the tribe of Gad, was shrewd and ambitious, always watching from the shadows. They admired each other’s strengths in the way adversaries do—always measuring, never trusting.

Now, with the miraculous Exodus behind them and the covenant of Sinai fresh in their memories, they were suddenly leaders—appointed chieftains of their respective tribes. And rivals once more.

As the twelve chieftains stood before Moses, the air was thick with anticipation and uncertainty. His instructions were precise, devoid of sentiment:

“When Moses Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-06-16T11:11:29-04:00June 16, 2025|

Parashat Beha’alotekha – 5785

A D’var Torah for Parashat Beha’alotekha

By Rabbi Inna Serebro-Litvak (AJR ’16)

When I was six years old, my father took me on a camping trip with his coworkers and their children. (In Russia this was considered to be a team building activity).

My favorite memories of that time include sitting around the campfire, listening to the singing (someone would always bring a guitar), baking potatoes in the coals and watching the flames shooting up in the dark. I was fascinated by the beauty and the variety of shades of orange, the sound of the burning wood, the smell, and the smoke that rose up to the heavens. I thought that the campfire was a beautiful thing!

A few years later I learned the hard way that a beautiful fire can also be very dangerous and bring horrific destruction.

Here is how I learned the lesson about the power of fire:

We used to live on the sixth Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-06-11T10:00:37-04:00June 9, 2025|

Parashat Naso – 5785

Down and Dirty

A D’var Torah for Parashat Naso

By Cantor Robin Anne Joseph (AJR ’96)

A priest’s work is never done.

After a long day directing the services of the Gershonites, recording the enrollment of the Kohathites, the Gershonites, the Merarites, and retaining sacred donations…must the priests also be marriage counselors?

In Paashat Naso, any man who thinks his wife has “gone astray,” whether she has actually had sexual relations with another man or not, should be brought by the jealous husband to the priest. (Num. 5:12-15)

Oh, really? Whatever happened to the death penalty? Not that I’m in favor of that, but isn’t the death penalty the prescription for adultery?

Remember back in Leviticus… “If a man commits adultery with a married woman—committing adultery with another man’s wife—the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.” Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-06-04T12:39:13-04:00June 4, 2025|

Parashat Bemidbar – 5785

A D’var Torah for Parashat Bemidbar

By Rabbi Susan Elkodsi (AJR ’15)

A few years ago, for Mother’s Day, my kids gave me a DNA-testing kit from Ancestry.com. Not surprisingly, the results came back as 99% Ashkenazi Jewish with 1% various other ethnicities, depending on some algorithm or something.

It was fascinating to start receiving DNA matches, including my daughter (whew!), connecting with some long-lost relatives, and learning about some distant ones whom I never knew existed. I get as far back as my great-grandparents, and then the history appears to end. My husband, whose father was part of the Egyptian Karaite community, has information going back 12 or 13 generations because excellent records have been kept and kept up.

Now imagine being an Israelite born into Egyptian slavery!

The book of Bemidbar/Numbers/In the Wilderness opens by telling us that the Israelites are in their second year following the Exodus from Egypt (1:1). While we don’t yet Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-05-28T10:25:23-04:00May 28, 2025|

Parshiyot Behar-Behukotai 5785

A Bible verse for the shelter’s door

A D’var Torah for Parshiyot Behar-Behukotai

By Rabbi Robert Scheinberg

Rookie rabbi mistakes, chapter 1: One week after my arrival to my first full-time congregation that I served as a rabbi, at age 27, I was invited to a meeting of our local clergy coalition, and I met the director of the local homeless shelter. My synagogue had been one of the organizations that founded the shelter several years before.

The shelter’s director, a wise, courageous, and gregarious nun named Sister Norberta who had led the effort to found the shelter despite local government opposition, warmly welcomed me and quickly told me that she had a special job for me. They were doing a renovation of the shelter and wanted to commission some artwork for the shelter door, including Biblical verses that would be sources of inspiration for those who would be walking through the door of the shelter. They wanted to use Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-05-19T12:57:45-04:00May 19, 2025|

Parashat Emor – 5785

A D’var Torah for Parashat Emor

By Rabbi Gerry L. Ginsburg

There is a paradox in the commandment to light the Menorah in the mishkan, the portable sanctuary in the wilderness which appears in Parashat Emor. The flames of the Menorah were not there to give off light.

The mishkan was fully constructed and operational, the first korbanot, sacrifices, were already completed favorably, when the commandment comes to tell the Levites, specifically Aaron, to light the Menorah daily. The light of the Menorah will emanate from pure, clear olive oil, unlike that used for any other function.

God talked to Moses about lighting the Menorah and specifically directed Aaron to supervise.

צַ֞ו אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃

Command the Israelite people to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly. (Lev. 24:2)

But this oil was not for any candelabrum, it was specifically for the Menorah crafted out of one piece of Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-05-14T15:39:06-04:00May 14, 2025|

Parshiyot Aharei Mot – Kedoshim – 5785

May the Force Be with You

A D’var Torah for Parshiyot Aharei Mot – Kedoshim

By Rabbi Enid C. Lader (AJR ’10)

“The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them – You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy.” (Lev. 19:1-2)

How would you define “holy”?

What does it mean to “BE holy”?

These are questions I asked Gavriel as we prepared for his becoming a bar mitzvah last year. Upon hearing my questions, he looked at me with a blank expression, but I could tell that he was thinking… and thinking… and hesitantly answered, “Religious?”

Years ago, I had learned about and then taught other Jewish educators and teachers about Interactive Family Homework; this seemed like the perfect opportunity for Gavriel to include his grandparents in an important part of his bar mitzvah preparations. I asked Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-05-05T13:24:24-04:00May 5, 2025|

Parshiyot Tazria-Mezorah – 5785

See Me

A D’var Torah for Parshiyot Tazria-Mezorah

By Rabbi Greg Schindler (AJR ’09)

“See Me

Feel Me

Touch Me

Heal Me”

“See Me, Feel Me” (The Who)

There was once a fellow who was so forgetful that, when he got up in the morning, he could not remember where he had put his clothes. One evening he had a great idea: He took a pencil and paper and wrote down exactly where he placed each item of clothing. He placed the note on his nightstand and fell asleep.

The next morning, he saw the note and read off each item in turn. “Pants – on chair”. And there they were. “Shirt – on bed post.” There was his shirt. “Hat – on hook behind door.” And there it was.

Suddenly, a worried expression crossed his face.

“Yes,” he said, “Here are my pants and my shirt and my hat … but where am I?”

He looked and looked, but could not find himself anywhere.

Woe to the young person called upon to Read More >

By Marisa Amith|2025-04-29T13:29:07-04:00April 29, 2025|

The Many “Faces” of Silence

Parashat Shemini doesn’t lack for themes but the one which stood out for me as I began to prepare this D’var Torah is one that “speaks” to me every year when we read this parashah – namely, the theme of silence. Although Aaron’s silence is of course in an almost inconceivably tragic context all its own, I’ve been recalling and searching for other instances of silence in the Bible and in contemporary literature as well as in the area of mourning practices.

An example in the latter category is Chaim Potok’s well-known book, The Chosen, which powerfully and poignantly explores the theme of silence between fathers and sons. Rabbi Harold Kushner also explores the concept of silence in his widely-read book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. In it, he deals with the role of silence in understanding suffering and in searching for meaning in life. In response to grief and misery, Kushner believed that silence can find Read More >

By Linda Ripps|2025-04-21T17:41:34-04:00April 21, 2025|

Pesah 5785

Normally I look forward to my trips to Israel with much anticipation and excitement. Even following the horrific attack of October 7, and with an ongoing war, I was still looking forward to being with my people.

By Linda Ripps|2025-04-15T16:23:15-04:00April 15, 2025|

All shall unite to do God's will with an open heart.

All shall unite to do God's will with an open heart.

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Parashat Shelah – 5785

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