Parashat Bemidbar 5779

The “New” Tribes of Israel
A D’var Torah for Parashat Bemidbar
By Rabbi Irwin Huberman (’10)

Over the centuries, there has been much debate and speculation regarding the fate of the twelve tribes of Israel.

In recent years, with the advent of such genealogy programs as Ancestry.com and 23andMe, there has been considerable interest within the Jewish world and beyond in tracing our roots and countries of origin.

Yet, in spite of this new technology, few of us, with the exception of the Kohanim and Levi’im, know which tribe we descend from.

But, can we truly say, in 2019, that the idea of tribalism within Judaism is passé? Perhaps not.

In Biblical times, each Israelite knew where they came from. Each tribe has its own banner. Each tribe had its own personality. In the closing portion of the Book of Genesis, in his last days, Jacob gathers his twelve sons, and gives each tribe its own blessing according to that personality. Read More >

By Rabbi Irwin Huberman|2022-07-29T11:24:35-04:00June 6, 2019|

Parashat Behukkotai 5779

A D’var Torah for Parashat Behukkotai
By Rabbi Bruce Alpert (’11)

Reading this week’s Torah portion, I found myself as influenced by what is not in it as what is. What is not in it are the opening words “And God spoke to Moses, saying …” Those words, ubiquitous throughout the middle books of the Torah (they do appear half-way through this week’s parashah), do more than testify to the provenance of the revelation that follows them. They also create a distance between ourselves and those words by letting us know that we are hearing them, not directly, but as transmitted through an intermediary.

The “And God spoke to Moses” to which the opening words of this week’s parashah do not attach, appear all the way at the beginning of last week’s parashah. Even when these two parashiyot are read together, 56 verses separate us from the last mention of Moses’s mediating role. As a result, for me Read More >

By Bruce Alpert|2022-07-29T11:24:35-04:00May 30, 2019|

Parashat Behar – 5779

A D’var Torah for Parashat Behar
By Cantor Sandy Horowitz (’14)

“This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York island,

from the redwood forests to the gulf-stream waters,

this land was made for you and me.”

This classic American anthem was written in 1940 by Woody Guthrie and made popular by Pete Seeger and numerous other singers. The song is in praise of our country’s natural beauty; it is also a statement about how the land’s resources belong to all the people, not just the wealthy. One particularly-controversial verse was removed and lost for decades until it was rediscovered in the 1990s:

“There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me.

The sign was painted, said ‘Private Property.’

But on the backside, it didn’t say nothing.

This land was made for you and me.”[i]

This week’s Torah portion Parashat Behar seems to support the message of the song, that the Read More >

By Cantor Sandy Horowitz|2022-07-29T11:24:35-04:00May 22, 2019|

Parashat Emor – 5779

Kedushah: From Hierarchy to Complementarity
A D’var Torah for Parashat Emor
By Rabbi Len Levin

“[The priests] shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the Lord’s offerings by fire…and so must be holy” (Leviticus 21:6).

“These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions” (Leviticus 23:2).

“The world stands on three things: on Torah, on the [Temple] service, and on deeds of lovingkindness” (Avot 1:2).

“A bastard who is a scholar takes precedence over a High Priest who is an ignoramus” (Mishnah Horayot 3:8).

“Holiness determines and actualizes the spirit as moral spirit. And in the same way the spirit determines and actualizes holiness as the action of moral reason” (Hermann Cohen, Religion of Reason out of the Sources of Judaism, end of Chapter 7).

Can sanctity be reconciled with equality?

Kedushah—holiness or sanctity—is one of Read More >

By Rabbi Len Levin|2022-07-29T11:24:35-04:00May 16, 2019|

Parashat Kedoshim – 5779

A D’var Torah for Parashat Kedoshim
By Rabbi Isaac Mann

This week’s sidra begins with the Divine command directed to the Children of Israel to be holy (kedoshim tih’yu) “for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2). In Hebrew, the root meaning of kadosh is separate. This prompts us to ask what is the nature of this holiness or separation that God requires of us and how do we achieve it?

At first glance one might respond to these questions by saying: “Look further in the text.” Indeed the very first commandment that follows is the obligation to fear one’s father and mother. This is followed in the same verse by the instruction to observe the Sabbath. The next verse warns us against idolatrous practices. This is followed by some specific instructions regarding the offering of sacrifices. And many more specific halakhot follow in the ensuing verses and chapters without an appearance Read More >

By Rabbi Isaac Mann|2022-07-29T11:24:35-04:00May 9, 2019|

Parashat Acharei Mot – 5779

Yom Kippur Asks “Answers” – Not Just “Afflictions”
A D’var Torah for Parashat Acharei Mot
By Rabbi David Markus

This week’s parashah (Acharei Mot) brings Torah’s first mention of Yom Kippur (#sorry), so each year this parashah starts me thinking about the High Holy Days (#notsorry).

Each year, I recall how three words in this parashah once drove me from Judaism. So each year, I renew my commitment to wrestle these words that challenge me.

This parashah’s three challenging words are: “afflict your souls.”

Torah “sets a law for all time that [on Yom Kippur] you will afflict your souls (t’anu et nafshoteikhem) and do no work” (Lev. 16:29). That day is to be a “complete shabbat (shabbat shabbaton) [on which] you will afflict your souls (v’initem et nafshoteikhem)” (Lev. 16:31). For Yom Kippur, one mention of “afflict” didn’t suffice: Torah had to say it twice.

From “afflict your souls” evolved Yom Kippur’s fasting, abstinence, and Read More >

By Rabbi David Evan Markus|2022-07-29T11:24:35-04:00May 1, 2019|

Last Days of Pesah – 5779

A D’var Torah for the last days of Pesah
By Rabbi Heidi Hoover (’11)

We are coming now to the end of Passover, our joyful spring holiday. At our seders, we asked questions, we learned, we discussed how we were slaves in the land of Egypt, and how we were freed from that degradation and pain by the strong hand and outstretched arm of God, who took us to be God’s people, and who we continue to acknowledge as our God. It is a journey from slavery to freedom, from sadness and despair to rejoicing.

On the last day of Passover, we traditionally read about the crossing of the Reed Sea and the song of celebration the Israelites and Moses sang on the other side. Some Jews, particularly among the Hasidim, have a tradition of pouring water on the floor and singing and dancing to remember the crossing of the Read More >

By Rabbi Heidi Hoover|2022-07-29T11:24:35-04:00April 25, 2019|

First Days of Pesah – 5779

Hametz of the Soul: The Yeast Within

A D’var Torah for the first days of Pesah
By Rabbi Irwin Huberman (’10)

“And what prevents us from performing Your will? It is the yeast in the dough.” Rabbi Alexandri

The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797), one of our greatest rabbis, provided an important answer to a question which each of us may ask from time to time.

“Why are we here?”

Indeed, we navigate our lives, apply our God-given talents, interact with others, but ultimately what is the purpose of it all?

The Vilna Gaon considered this question, and suggested that, simply stated, the purpose of life is to turn ourselves into something better.

In his commentary on the Book of Proverbs – the Vilna Gaon expanded on verse 4:13 which reads “hold fast to discipline; do not let it go; Keep it. It is your life.”

And how did he interpret the phrase “it is your life?” The Vilna Gaon noted: Read More >

By Rabbi Irwin Huberman|2022-07-29T11:24:36-04:00April 17, 2019|

Parashat Metzorah 5779

A D’var Torah for Parashat Metzorah
By Rabbi Bruce Alpert (’11)

A few years ago I passed the age at which my mother died. Doing so changed my perspective on my own life. I still want to think of my continuing good health as an entitlement, but it’s hard to do so when you have lived longer than the one who gave you life. Indeed, if there is one prayer that I utter more than any other, it is the one about the nikavim nikavim, halulim halulim – the complex of passageways and orifices that make up the human body, the proper functioning of each one being necessary for our existence.

I thought about that passage while reading of the purification ritual for one who has been cured of tzara-at. Often mistranslated as leprosy, I long ago gave up trying to understand what disease or collection of diseases tzara-at might be. Instead, it has become for me a stand-in for Read More >

By Bruce Alpert|2022-07-29T11:24:36-04:00April 12, 2019|

Parashat Tazria

A D’var Torah for Parashat Tazria
By Cantor Sandy Horowitz (’14)

Much of the text of Parashat Tazria is about skin disease. These verses, from Leviticus 13:1-46, lay out in remarkable detail numerous variations of skin-related afflictions and how these are to be treated. On the surface one might think that the intention is to demonstrate concern for the physical health and welfare of the community. On the other hand, perhaps the underlying concern is less literal, and is, rather, a statement on the importance of distinguishing between that which is impure from that which is pure. A third take, and what I believe may be a significant function of this text, is that this is about power, specifically the power of the kohanim, the priests. Let us examine each of these viewpoints.

The detailed descriptions of the many variations of skin lesions, and how they are to be managed, seem to read like a medical manual for its Read More >

By Cantor Sandy Horowitz|2022-07-29T11:24:36-04:00April 4, 2019|

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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