Parashat Shelah 5781

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The Arc of the Covenant
A D’var Torah for Parashat Shelah
By Rabbi Enid Lader (’10)

What does it mean to be holy? What does it mean to be in a covenant with God? It seems to me that the Children of Israel – we – have been on a trajectory of learning about holiness and covenant ever since we were brought out of Egypt, stood at Sinai’s foot and heard these words of God from Moses:

וּמֹשֶׁ֥ה עָלָ֖ה אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֵלָ֤יו ה’ מִן־הָהָ֣ר לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לְבֵ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְתַגֵּ֖יד לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

… and Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel:

אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃

‘You have Read More >

By Rabbi Enid C. Lader|2022-07-29T11:24:19-04:00June 4, 2021|

Parashat Beha’alotekha 5781

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A D’var Torah for Parashat Beha’alotekha
By Rabbi Jeffrey Segelman

Two stories appear at the end of the parasha this week, Beha’alotekha, which teach important lessons about life in general, but speak clearly to the ways in which our AJR pluralistic community survives and thrives.

The first story is that of Eldad and Meidad, two of the seventy leaders of the people on whom had been bestowed a level of prophecy so that they might assist Moses. When these two seemed to use their prophetic powers in excess, Joshua called upon Moses to punish them. Moses responded to Joshua saying, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the people could be prophets if Hashem would but place His spirit in them.” (Numbers 11:26-29)

We are witness here to a great quality of Moses and one for which we should all aspire: The “Ayin HaTovah” Read More >

By Rabbi Jeffrey Segelman|2022-07-29T11:24:19-04:00May 28, 2021|

Parashat Naso 5781

A D’var Torah for Parashat Naso
By Rabbi Matthew Goldstone

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Our parasha this week, Naso, contains a passage recited daily as part of the traditional liturgy, which many parents also use to bless their children each Friday night: The priestly blessing (Num. 6:22-27):

The Lord spoke to Moses:

Speak to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the people of Israel. Say to them:

The Lord bless you and protect you!

The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!

The Lord bestow God’s favor upon you and grant you peace!

Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them.

There is a lot to unpack in this text, but for the moment I want to focus in on the last line of the trifold blessing: “The Lord bestow God’s favor upon you and grant you peace!” In light of the recent events Read More >

By Rabbi Len Levin|2022-07-29T11:24:20-04:00May 21, 2021|

Parashat Bemidbar 5781

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A D’var Torah for Parashat Bemidbar
By Rabbi Lizz Goldstein (’16)The summer is nearly here, more and more adults are vaccinated, and it seems new opportunities for gathering will become available. And yet, the language of “reopening” or “returning to normal” feels complicated for me. Setting aside for the moment all the issues that already existed in the old normal which were exacerbated and highlighted during the pandemic but largely ignored on the level of institutional change, the concept of “returning” now rings false when faced with the reality of how many people have been out and about right along. Some due to financial necessity, some due to youthful feelings of immortality, and some due to misinformation and the politicization of the virus. Now there are reports of variant strains of the coronavirus, that herd immunity may Read More >

By Rabbi Lizz Goldstein|2022-07-29T11:24:20-04:00May 14, 2021|

Parashiyot Behar-Behukotai 5781

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A D’var Torah for Parashiyot Behar- Behukotai
By Rabbi Ariann weitzman (’11)

Our double portion this week, parashiyot Behar-Behukotai, offers a connected vision of a world founded on basic trust in the systems of nature as an expression of God’s abundant grace. Parashat Behar begins by instructing us in the laws of the sabbatical and Jubilee years. Every seven years, we must let land lay fallow. Every 50 years, we must let the land rest an additional year, free individuals enslaved by their debts, and let land revert to its ancestral holdings. Along the way, objections are raised: How can you sell land knowing it must revert back to its original owner in just a few years? How do we deal with houses in cities or small villages? How can we truly believe that food will be provided for us in Read More >

By Rabbi Ariann Weitzman|2022-07-29T11:24:20-04:00May 7, 2021|

Parashat Emor 5781

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A D’var Torah for Parashat Emor
By Rabbi Doug Alpert (’12)I cannot recall a time when we have been more preoccupied with time than during this COVID 19 pandemic. How much longer until we… can get our vaccines? Travel safely again? See family beyond our bubble? No longer need to mask up? Be back in person together in Shul? We grope to find some certainty amidst a time of great uncertainty.

Yet, our preoccupation with time is not a new phenomenon. We as Jews have always been keenly aware of time. Rabbi Jill Hammer describes the Issacharites as “knowers of the wisdom of time” and that they had knew about “the shifting of light across time.” (The Jewish Book of Days at p. 265).

This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Emor, delves into the importance of time. “Speak to B’nai Yisrael and say to them; the appointed times of HaShem which you Read More >

By Doug Alpert|2022-07-29T11:24:20-04:00April 30, 2021|

Parashiot Aharei Mot / Kedoshim 5781

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A D’var Torah for Parashiot Aharei Mot / Kedoshim
By Rabbi Jill Hackell (’13)

You shall rise before the aged and respect the elderly; you shall fear your God, I am the Lord.” [Leviticus 19:32]

This verse is found in parashat Kedoshim, a parashah which begins with Moses transmitting these words of God to the community of Israel: “You shall be holy [kedoshim tehiyu], for I, the Lord God, am holy.” [19:1-2] What does it mean to be holy? What does God ask of us? Let’s look at our verse as an example.

At one time, Israeli buses displayed the first part of this verse – mip’nei siva takum – literally, ‘Rise before the gray-hairs’, on signs, to remind younger riders that society expects them to give up their seats to their elders. What a wonderful way to create a society which teaches the value of Read More >

By Rabbi Len Levin|2022-07-29T11:24:20-04:00April 23, 2021|

Parashiot Tazria-Metzorah 5781

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A D’var Torah for Tazria-Metzorah
By Rabbi Marc Rudolph (’04)Not all Parshiyot are equally welcomed by rabbis – or by congregants! One could say these are the Parshiyot that we love to hate. Bar mitzvah boys and bat mitzvah girls cringe when they find out they need to write a D’var Torah on this week’s Torah portion, whose subject matter is skin diseases and emissions of fluids, both natural and pathological, from various orifices of the body. I suspect that their parents wish they had been savvy enough to check ahead of time to find out the subject matter of this week’s Torah reading before scheduling their child’s big day. For this is the week when this most obtuse of subjects is read from our holy Torah in synagogues across the world. We rabbis struggle to find meaning, to find Read More >

By Rabbi Marc Rudolph|2022-07-29T11:24:20-04:00April 16, 2021|

Parashat Shemini 5781

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A D’var Torah for Parashat Shemini
By Rabbi Enid Lader (’10)

Our Torah portion’s opening chapters recount the celebration of Aaron’s and his son’s installation as Kohanim (Priests) and conclude with tragic loss, the punishment by a fiery death of Aaron’s oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, who “…offered before the Eternal alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them,” and who were then consumed by fire that “came forth from God.” (Leviticus 10:1-2). Moses makes an attempt to explain God’s actions: “Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Eternal meant when He said: Through those near to Me I show Myself holy, and gain glory before all the people.’” In response, “…Aaron was silent” (Leviticus 10:3).

Our Haftarah portion shares a similar story of celebration turning to tragic loss as King David is moving the Ark of the Read More >

By Rabbi Enid C. Lader|2022-07-29T11:24:20-04:00April 9, 2021|

Shabbat, the 7th Day of Pesah – 5781

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A D’var Torah for Shabbat, the 7th Day of Pesah
By Rabbi Jeffrey Segelman

The seventh day of Pesah is highlighted by Shirat Hayam – the song that we sang when we saw that we were finally free from Egypt. It is impossible to overstate the importance of Shirat Hayam. It represented a moment of the highest spiritual heights. Indeed, the rabbis established that we would recite neither the Shema nor the Amidah without introducing them with words of the Shira. The conclusion of the seder with the words “Leshanah Habah B’yerushalai’im” and the conclusion of the festival with Shirat Hayam indicate the amazing spiritual aspiration of Pesah.

Yet despite the celebration of such spiritual greatness, or perhaps because of it, I would like to focus this d’var Torah on the five verses that follow the Shira and conclude our Torah reading on Read More >

By Rabbi Jeffrey Segelman|2022-07-29T11:24:21-04:00April 2, 2021|

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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