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By Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting” (Exodus 40:2). This is taken to mean the first of the month of Nissan. Here in the Northeast, it has been a long, hard winter. Snow continues to fall lightly and Read More >

By Cantor Jacklyn Chernett Leviticus, or Torat Kohanim, from the beginning, seems like an endless list of intricate sacrifices, the concept of which is almost anathema to us in our time. The sacrificial cult is difficult for us to comprehend. Expiation for sin is now dealt with in differing ways – (know a good therapist?) Read More >

By Cantor Robin Joseph So, there was this man . . . who was so unhappy with his life . . . he grumbled, complained, and was not grateful for anything. One day the Angel of Death came to him and said, “OK-time’s up; you’re coming with me.” The misanthrope suddenly perks up and pleads Read More >

By Michael G. Kohn And Aaron fell silent . . . As a congregational rabbi with an aging congregation comforting the bereaved, while fortunately not an everyday occurrence, nevertheless constitutes a significant portion of my time. In addition, as an on-call chaplain at a major medical center, I am occasionally called to come there in Read More >

By Sandy Horowitz Wrestling with Ritual In his book Sacred Fragments, author Neil Gillman discusses the issue of ritual in Judaism. He addresses the distinction between laws having to do with relationships among human beings, as compared with commandments to perform ritual acts whose function was for the sake of God.  The commandments of human Read More >

GOSSIP UNDER OUR SKIN By Rabbi Irwin Huberman With the increased use of text messages and emails, and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, society is currently experiencing an unprecedented change in the way we communicate with each other. Through time, the Torah and Talmud, and such great rabbis as Maimonides and the Hafetz Read More >

Shabbat Ha-Gadol Herald of Redemption “Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of the Lord.  He shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents…”  (Malachi 3:23). The liturgy of Passover in its original form seems focused on past history-the liberation of the Israelite Read More >

By Rabbi Maralee Gordon We learn from Rabbi Akiva that the greatest principle in the Torah is V’ahavta l’reyakha kamokha- Love your fellow as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).  That teaching is found in this week’sparashah, Kedoshim, part of the Holiness Code.  Sometimes we stop reading at that point in the text; after all, that’s the pinnacle-or is it? A story:  When I Read More >

By Rabbi Bob Freedman It's surprising that there is no blessing to be said before giving tzedakah. Certainly it's an important mitzvah, but unlike other mitzvot that require us to say a formula to engage mind and spirit before we do them, there's no such requirement for giving. A passage in our parashah offers a Read More >

By Rabbi Bruce Alpert Here’s the scene: I open the door to the cupboard or refrigerator and stare intently at its contents. Perhaps I rearrange things a bit to discover what might be hiding in a remote corner. I stare some more. Then, after an additional moment or two of hesitation, I grab a handful Read More >