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By Michael Kohn Vayehi is the final parashah of Sefer Bereshit and brings to a close not only the lives of Jacob and Joseph but the narrative of the Patriarchs as well. It is a major transition point in the Torah narrative, inasmuch as the second chapter of Sefer Shemot begins with the birth of Read More >

By Joan Lenowitz The completion and certification of Seven World Trade Center, the building that stands in the place of the tower that was destroyed on 9/11, signals a new era in energy and environmental design. The building achieves preeminence as the first to receive 'gold' certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, an industry Read More >

You! Open Up for Them! By Rabbi David Greenstein One of the famous sections of the traditional Haggadah'the Passover discussion of the Exodus that takes place at the seder'is the description of the questions of the Four Children and the suggested responses to them. Roughly translated, the four children are: the wise one, the wicked Read More >

By Yechiel Buchband As we open our portions, we may expect to find the common phrase 'Adonai spoke to Moses, saying . . .' But we get a new addition to that phrase: 'VaY'daber Adonai el-Moshe b'Har-Sinai Laymor' (Lev. 25:1). We might well wonder, weren't all these many mitzvot in Sefer VaYikra spoken on/at/near Mt. Read More >

By Rabbi Isaac MannThe opening verse of the parashah - "Say (emor) to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and you shall say (v'amarta) to them 'do not defile yourself to someone who died amongst his people,'" (Lev. 21:1)is a major source in the Midrash and Talmud for an important rabbinic teaching. From the redundancy Read More >

Counting the Models of Religious Leadership in The Book of NumbersBy Rabbi Rena Kieval I would like to dedicate this dvar Torah about religious leadership to my fellow graduates, my teachers, and all the students at AJR, where individuals are embarked on this path in so many different ways and bringing a multiplicity of talents Read More >

By Jonathan Zimet On Shavuot we recall, and re-enact, the revelation event of our history. There, in the desert, we see a large group of ex-slaves, traveling by foot. Then, on just three days notice, they experience something so awesome that it had to transcend our usual physical senses. Dark clouds, blinding flashes of light; Read More >

By Cantor Arnold Saltzman In Parashat Naso the Priestly Benediction, also known as Birkat Kohanim is set apart in a very important manner, punctuated with spaces not unlike the text for Shirat Hayam ' the Song at the Red Sea - and the Ten Commandments. The kohanim, the priests, have the power to bless the Read More >

By Cantor Jaclyn Chernett The troubled Moses cries to God in his loneliness. How can he continue to cope with the constant complaining and irresponsible behaviour of his people! He is worn down by his burden, but at no time does he seek to relinquish leadership. For Moses, the leader, the prophet, the only alternative Read More >

Parshat Yitro-Mishpatim By Steven Saks Often the original movie or book is better that the sequel. Last year I caught the end of Beverly Hills Cop, staring Eddie Murphy on TV. I had not seen it in years, and I had forgotten how funny a movie it was. It was genuinely a good comedy. However, Read More >