Sefer Shemot Archives | Page 16 of 19 | Academy for Jewish Religion

25 02, 2009

Parashat Terumah

By Doug Alpert|2009-02-25T19:46:00-05:00February 25, 2009|

Doug Alpert

This week’s parashah, Terumah,is arguably one of the less enthralling parashot in the Torah. God instructs Moshe Rabeinu, Moses Our Teacher, regarding the building of the Mishkan-the Holy Tabernacle. The ensuing instructions are provided in exhaustive detail challenging the reader, as well as many of our great Biblical exegetes to derive meaning and purpose from the mere form of the text-i.e., that it is so detailed, much less as to the content of the instructions. For me form does matter, and it says much about who we are as a people. (And besides, as this is the parashah of my Bar Mitzvah I do confess to a special affinity for Terumah. Probably a good early lesson for me on why there is no parcel of Torah that is devoid of great meaning, purpose and wealth.)

One of many areas in which this level of detailed instruction plays out is in the Read More >

18 02, 2009

Parashat Mishpatim

By Rabbi Enid C. Lader|2009-02-18T13:49:14-05:00February 18, 2009|

Enid C. Lader

In last week’s Torah portion, we were commanded to “Honor your father and your mother…” [Ex. 20:12] As we recall the mitzvah, we usually stop with these six (in English; five in Hebrew) words. But, wait; there’s more! The verse continues: “… that you may prolong your days on the land that the Lord your God is giving to you.” This appears to be teaching us that respecting our parents is connected to long life. It is even more importantly teaching us that obligations toward our parents are directly related to our relationship with God. Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, writing in That You May Live Long: Caring for Our Aging Parents, Caring for Ourselves, suggests that “… clearly the connection to God underscores the importance of the mitzvah. Perhaps the text draws an analogy between our obligations to parents and our obligations to God… That the promised reward is Read More >

11 02, 2009

Parashat Yitro

By Rabbi Irwin Huberman|2009-02-11T20:19:00-05:00February 11, 2009|

Moses learns a lesson in management
Irwin Huberman

There once was a CEO of a major corporation whose dedication to his work and to his employees was legendary.

He would arrive at his desk at sunrise, and would not return home until well past nightfall. For the entire day he would not only attend to his own responsibilities, but would also assist his employees to navigate the pathways of their own lives.

People would come to him with not only with their own work issues, but also with their interpersonal problems. The CEO was wise and revered, and the lineup outside his office door was constant and never ending.

One day, his father’in-law, Yitro, a person of wisdom and experience, came to visit and noticed not only the long lineup, but also the physical toll it was taking on his son-in-law.

And he uttered the words, which would be forever inscribed in the corporate tradition. Yitro Read More >

3 02, 2009

Parashat Bâ€™shalah

By Bruce Alpert|2009-02-03T10:28:37-05:00February 3, 2009|

Parashat B’shalah
By Bruce Alpert

Twenty-eight years ago – like today – the US watched a new administration come to power. Perhaps Ronald Reagan’s most controversial appointee was his designated Secretary of State, Alexander Haig who, as a retired general, was feared to have the same militaristic instincts as his new boss. During his confirmation hearing, he was questioned about the dangers of war in those unsettled times. “There are worse things; there are more important things,” he said. “This Republic was spawned by armed conflict . . . we fought and died to prevent dictatorship and genocide, in the Second World War, from becoming the rule of the land. There are things worth fighting for.”

The sentiments that gave rise to General Haig’s comments are reflected in the opening verse of our Torah portion this week. There we are told that God did not lead the newly escaped Israelites by the nearer path Read More >

28 01, 2009

Parashat Bo

By Rabbi Jill Hackell M.D.|2009-01-28T14:43:52-05:00January 28, 2009|

By Jill Hackell

Parashat Bo is the climax of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Pharaoh seems on the verge of letting the people go; indeed his courtiers are already convinced that Egypt is lost. Yet, heart-hardened, he refuses permission again, and three more plagues are unleashed – locusts, darkness, and the most terrible plague of all, the death of all the firstborn of Egypt. The remainder of the parashah recounts the events of that night, when the Israelites prepared for their departure from Egypt, and ensures that this pivotal moment of our history will be recorded forever in the collective memory of the Jewish people.

How do we remember? Through signs and symbols, through conscious action, and through retelling. In my family, there is a ring that belonged to my grandfather’s sister, marked with the numbers 1913 (This is a sign). My mother received it when she graduated high school, gave it Read More >

20 01, 2009

Parashat Vaera

By ahsilver|2009-01-20T10:48:52-05:00January 20, 2009|

By Paul Hoffman

This week has been one of history-in-the-making as the first man of color was the people’s overwhelming favorite to step into the White House and assume the Presidency of the USA. As with every new administration, it is only normal for Americans to hope that a significant level of change for the better will ensue, and today is certainly no different. Currently our country is divided on two levels as we are not only at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but our economy is in such dire straits that it has been likened to that of the Great Depression. I can’t imagine what pressure Barack Obama is experiencing. So far he has displayed intelligence and articulation and has done a masterful job in choosing a diverse and qualified cabinet. However, if I were he, I’d also be searching for a mentor, one who has experience in leading a nation in Read More >

20 02, 2008

Parashat Tetzaveh

By ahsilver|2008-02-20T07:07:08-05:00February 20, 2008|

Parashat Tetzaveh
By Rabbi Aryeh Meir

This week Qassam rockets fell on the Israeli town of Sderot, severely injuring two brothers. The rockets, fired by Palestinian militants from just across the border in Gaza, have been raining down upon Sderot and environs for months and years, terrorizing the populace and perplexing Israel’s leaders.

And this week, some of the people of Sderot and their supporters stopped traffic on the main road to Jerusalem and marched to the office of the Prime Minister to demonstrate their anger and frustration with the inability of the governments to end the rocket fire.

This coming Shabbat, in the synagogues of Sderot, as in every other synagogue in the world, Jews will be reading and discussing the Torah portion detailing the vestments of the Kohanim, the priests, in the ancient desert sanctuary.

What is the connection between Sderot and the vestments of the Kohanim? Among the garments of the Kohen Read More >

20 02, 2008

Parashat Ki Tissa

By ahsilver|2008-02-20T06:50:14-05:00February 20, 2008|

Parashat Ki Tissa
By Suri Krieger

Moses had a double! That’s right. Moses was not the only prophet to part the waters, or to experience a Revelation on Mt. Sinai, or to have a highly unusual end-of life occurrence. Granted, our first and foremost prophet earned his reputation with miracles and fireworks. But so did his double, Elijah the Prophet. Elijah is the only other prophet who comes close to facilitating miracles on the scale of grandeur associated with Moses.

Is Elijah really a double Moses? Look at the similarities:

He really did part the waters. Just before he is carried up in a chariot to the heavens, he lifts his mantel and the waters of the Jordan River part for Elisha (his successor) and himself to pass through. That mantle is to Elijah what the staff is to Moses.

Elijah walks 40 days and nights until he reaches Har Horev, another name for Mt. Sinai, whereupon Read More >

30 01, 2008

Parashat Mishpatim

By Rabbi Irwin Huberman|2008-01-30T11:03:00-05:00January 30, 2008|

Everything I Need, I Learned at Sinai
By Irwin Huberman

During the mid-1980’s a series of books captured the imagination of readers across America under the general theme of “All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”

The book’s premise was that this complex and often troubling world could somehow be tamed and explained through a series of general themes that we originally learned during a pure and relatively uncomplicated time in our lives.

Of course, in spite of this popular series of books and articles which also claimed that everything we needed to know could be gleaned from our cat, dog or reruns of Bonanza or The Nanny, in reality, the world which God created is complex, often troubling, and beyond the reach of general explanations and classifications.

We as humans possess a tendency to seek absolutes and firm directions to understand life, but indeed, Judaism through its system of debate, discussion and discourse Read More >

22 01, 2008

Parashat Beshallah

By ahsilver|2008-01-22T16:20:11-05:00January 22, 2008|

Parashat BeShalah: Shabbat Shirah 5768
The Power of Song
By Hazzan Ram’n Tasat

I remember it clearly; it was around 1970 when, for the first time, I heard the music of a Spanish group, proscribed at the time by the Franco Administration. The group was called “Aguaviva” and hardly anyone remembers them anymore. The words of their songs remain with me forever:

. . . My brother, yours is the house, the fire, the harvest. I take with me the song. Everything is yours but I leave you mute. And how are you going to light the fire and harvest the crops if I take away the song from you . . .

Standing at the sea was a time of rebellion, a time to leave behind the known slavery, to submerge ourselves in the unfamiliar, the unknown. Not all agreed, some were not even consulted and yet they trusted their leader. Moshe was 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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