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By Miriam Herscher One Jewish year and Torah reading cycle closes and one Jewish year and Torah cycle begins... In synagogues this coming Shabbat we read together the very first parashah of the very first book of our beloved Torah: our guide and charter for our human mission in the Universe. The chapter opens with Read More >

Parashat Noah By Ellen Bernstein This coming Shabbat, October 24, hundreds of thousands of people in 158 countries around the globe will be participating in the International Day of Climate Action. They will try to convince world leaders to craft policies to help bring atmospheric concentrations of CO2 down to 350 parts per million-the figure Read More >

At a recent teacher enhancement seminar at the Seattle Jewish Federation, the host asked us to consider this text from Parashat Lekh L'kha (Gen. 12:1-3): Vayomer Hashem el Avram, lekh l'kha mei'artzekha umimolad't'kha umibeit avikha el Ha'Aretz asher ar'eka. V'e'es'kha l'goi gadol va'avarekh'kha v'agad'lah sh'mekha, veh'yei b'rakhah. Va'avar'kha m'varakhekha um'kalelkha a'or, v'nivr'khu v'kha kol mish'p'hot Read More >

Every year we read the same parashiyot, in the same order, always finding something new. This year, my discovery came last Rosh HaShanah, when I reviewed this week's parashah, Vayera. We all know Parashat Vayera. Angels visit Abraham, Abraham argues with God, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his daughters have interesting, incestuous relationships, Sarah has her Read More >

By Rabbi Henry Glazer Last Sunday I turned seventy. Since then I have found myself contemplating my mortality and vulnerability. I have experienced an array of feelings touching on sadness, fear and uncertainty. There was more in my life that was behind rather than ahead of me; my cup was no longer full, but mostly Read More >

'A New Look at Esav' (Page references to Chumash Etz Chaim) Rabbi David Mark In this parashah, we meet Esav and Jacob for the first time'they are twins, but unalike. Esav is 'red, like a hairy mantle' (Gen 25:25, p.147), while Jacob is a 'smooth man.' Esav becomes 'a skillful hunter,' while Jacob is 'a Read More >

By Jill G. Hackell In Parashat VaYeitzei we read, "When Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, she became envious of her sister; and Rachel said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!" Jacob was incensed at Rachel, and said, "Can I take the place of God, who has denied you Read More >

Wrestling By Jill Minkoff The day after Thanksgiving, my daughter and I were deciding what to do with leftovers. While in her kitchen, I shared with her my assignment to write a D'var Torah about Parashat Vayishlah. "Wow!" she said, "I was just studying that with a student I am tutoring. The student really connected Read More >

By Rabbi Dorit Edut The test of a person's character comes when we are faced with a circumstance to which we must clearly reply. While we understand that not everything can be seen or judged so clearly, that often there are many connected factors to consider, yet in the end the choice we ultimately make Read More >

By Rabbi Eric Hoffman In preparing for this D'var Torah I read back into the archives of AJR Divrei Torah on the sedra, initially to avoid repeating themes and references already shared on these pages. Instead, I discovered a treasure of thinking that deserved to be repeated, not avoided. Last year, 5769, Hayley Siegel showed Read More >