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By Rabbi Ariann Weitzman "It should not be believed that all the beings exist for the sake of the existence of humanity. On the contrary, all the other beings too have been intended for their own sakes, and not for the sake of something else" (Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed, 3:13). This week's double portion Read More >

Shavuot: A Voice that Does Not Cease By Rabbi Len Levin "The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20) I love blintzes and cheesecake. The rabbis based the custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot on the verse: "Honey and milk are under your tongue" (Song of Songs 4:11). But what are we celebrating? Read More >

"And now, gentlemen," said d'Artagnan, without stopping to explain his conduct to Porthos, "All for one, one for all--that is our motto, is it not?" "And yet--" said Porthos. "Hold out your hand and swear!" cried Athos and Aramis at once. Overcome by example, grumbling to himself, nevertheless, Porthos stretched out his hand, and the Read More >

Someone gives you a gift and says, "Here, I was saving this for just the right moment." That is what I love about discovering new insights in the Torah; it was there all along just waiting for the right moment to be revealed. The first paper I wrote in rabbinical school was based on a Read More >

My synagogue is presently undergoing seismic change. We will be leaving the building we have owned and occupied for about the last four years. We will be seeking to move to a more urban location, a move that bucks the persistent trend of local congregations in my hometown to move further out into the suburbs; Read More >

The Heifer's Mysteries: Death and Purification  The law of the red heifer (Numbers, Chapter 19) is offered in the Jewish tradition as the paradigm of a hok, an arbitrary law whose reasons are known only to God, but surpass human understanding. A red heifer is slaughtered and burned to ashes, then its ashes are combined Read More >

Out of Left Field: The Portion of Balak By Rabbi Bob Freedman Just at a point in the narrative of Numbers when the Israelites have begun to fight for the land that God has promised them comes the story of Bil'am. It seems to say, "Dear reader, maybe at this point in our story you Read More >

 By Rabbi Isaac Mann The beginning of Parashat Pinhas seems out of place. We have here some details of a story that is basically recounted at the end of the previous parashah of Balak, and instead of finishing the story there, some of the details are left out and only filled in at the beginning Read More >

Divided We Stand, United We Fall: Not Much Has Changed I recall the period following the '67 war when many Jews, religious and not, swelled with pride, kvelled, at what "our" tiny nation in the desert, surrounded by enemies, had accomplished. Some of us, so inspired by the military miracle, made aliyah, moved there permanently. Read More >

By Rabbi Kaya Stern-Kaufman This week's Torah portion  “ D'varim  “ opens the book of Deuteronomy, throughout which Moses delivers an exhaustive farewell speech to the people of Israel, recounting their history, reviewing many of the laws given at Sinai and adding new laws for a future life in the promised land. The portion begins with the Read More >