Cantor Robin Anne Joseph (’96) Archives | Academy for Jewish Religion

24 03, 2025

Parashat Pekudei – 5785

By Marisa Amith|2025-03-24T11:44:17-04:00March 24, 2025|

Both Sides Now

A D’var Torah for Parashat Pekudei

By Cantor Robin Anne Joseph

Let’s look at clouds. From all sides now. Shall we?

Clouds are—what? The presence of God? A cover for God? A signal from God? In Parashat Pekudei, they are D) All of the above. And then some.

One cloud in particular makes a brief, but spectacular, cameo appearance as the curtain comes down on the second “act” (Book) of the Five Books of Moses. Not just any cloud, not just a cloud, but The Cloud (הֶעָנָ֖ן). As much a supporting actor in the Torah as anyone (or anything) else, I’m continually surprised not to see the word “cloud” capitalized in the English translation whenever the article “the” precedes it.

This is not the first time that The Cloud has made an appearance in the Torah.

As early as in the Book of Genesis, when God makes a covenant, a Brit, with Noah to never again destroy the earth by flood, God sets God’s “bow in the cloud.” Read More >

4 02, 2025

By Marisa Amith|2025-02-04T10:58:38-05:00February 4, 2025|

In this week’s D’var Torah, Cantor Robin Anne Joseph wonders (with apologies for the gender specificity) if “to know, know, know Him is to love, love, love Him.”

3 12, 2024

Parashat Vayeitzei 5785

By Linda Ripps|2024-12-03T14:42:27-05:00December 3, 2024|

Vayeitzei is a parashah with bookends: It starts with flight and ends with flight; it starts with a pillar and ends with a pillar (מַּצֵּבָ֔ה); it starts with a vow and ends with a vow. Such a nice, tidy frame around, arguably, a lot of commotion. It’s in that commotion, however, where change occurs, insuring that the Jacob at the start of the parashah is not the same Jacob at its end.

1 07, 2024

Parashat Korah 5784

By Linda Ripps|2024-07-01T11:00:47-04:00July 1, 2024|

“I’m falling on my face” is a phrase I heard many-a-time growing up. What it usually meant was “I’m exhausted,” “I have no more energy,” or “proceed without me.” When my mother would say it out loud, I knew enough to give her some space, or some time to rest, or get my tuchus in gear and help cook dinner.

8 04, 2024

Parashat Tazria 5784

By Linda Ripps|2024-04-08T14:12:55-04:00April 8, 2024|

One of my rabbis used to tell a story about a time when his father was on death’s doorstep. He had been 30 days in a coma suffering from a rare blood infection. The doctor comes into the room and says, “I don’t think he’s going to make it. There is one more drug we can try, but it’s so strong— if it doesn’t help him, it could kill him.” He told my rabbi the name of the drug. “Oh!,” said my rabbi, “that is the same drug that I was given 40 years ago when I was sick with Typhoid fever. It saved my life.”

6 02, 2024

Parashat Mishpatim 5784

By Linda Ripps|2024-02-06T14:26:11-05:00February 6, 2024|

“Na’aseh v’nishma (We will do and we will heed)”~ Shemot 24:7 Just Do It ~ The Nike slogan In my other life, I am a theater producer.

4 12, 2023

Parashat Vayeishev 5784

By Linda Ripps|2023-12-04T14:23:04-05:00December 4, 2023|

“A dream can follow you, it will not be denied, Dreams can haunt your life until you them guide.” ~ from “Follow Your Dreams: Joseph’s Song” by Robin Anne Joseph

10 08, 2023

Parashat Re’eh 5783

By jackielebwohl|2023-08-10T16:59:14-04:00August 10, 2023|

It’s been said that one person’s religion is another person’s superstition. So when in this week’s parasha, Re’eh, the Israelites are told to build an altar on one of the Canaanite mountains upon their entrance into the Promised Land, but not before they are told to “utterly destroy” [Deut. 12.2] the altars that are already there, well—why am I not surprised? Both the Israelites and the Canaanites have a long relationship with mountains. And often they’re the same mountains! But the Canaanites were there first. Sacred ancient Israelite shrines were often conveniently located on the same hilltops as former (and sometimes destroyed) ancient Canaanite shrines. So, which religion is legit and which is simply superstition?

16 05, 2023

Parashat Bemidbar 5783

By jackielebwohl|2023-06-01T10:54:35-04:00May 16, 2023|

“The straight line belongs to men, the curved one to God”

~ Antoni Gaudi, architect

In case we missed it, we begin this book of the Torah with a reminder: we’re BaMidbar—in the desert.

Still.

But why? What are the Israelites still doing in the desert? After one year and one month, couldn’t they make it through the desert any faster? It really shouldn’t take more than a few weeks to get from Egypt to Israel, even you are traveling on foot with hundreds of thousands of people and a lot of livestock.

But not to worry; at the beginning of Parashat BeMidbar, we seem to be at an inflection point. The Israelites must surely be thinking that their travels are coming to an end. As they ceremoniously take stock of the able-bodied men from among their tribes who will form an army to battle any peoples who might try to stop them (Numbers 1:1-4), Read More >

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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