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The biblical categories tahor and tamei, usually translated “pure” and “impure,” mean something like insider/outsider. One who is tahor can enter the sanctuary, the dwelling-place of God’s presence and the heart of Israelite ritual. One who is tamei cannot. Tum’ah, impurity, can be contracted by a variety of circumstances including contact with dead bodies, menstruation, Read More >

As we approach Simhat Torah and prepare to read of the death of Moses and the creation of the world, I always find myself experiencing a feeling of anticipation and even exhilaration, as if something extraordinary were about to happen. In one sense, all the prayers, introspection and celebration we have done all autumn have led Read More >

A D'var Torah for Parashat Vayetze By Cantor Sandy Horowitz ('14) Our liturgy contains frequent reminders that our God is also the God of the three patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But from what we know about Jacob when we encounter him at the beginning of Parashat Vayetze, he seems like a poor choice for a Read More >

A D'var Torah for Parashat Vayetze By Cantor Sandy Horowitz ('14) Our liturgy contains frequent reminders that our God is also the God of the three patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But from what we know about Jacob when we encounter him at the beginning of Parashat Vayetze, he seems like a poor choice for a Read More >

By Rabbi Margaret Frisch-Klein Sitting in a private bathroom stall on Rosh Hashanah at the synagogue, I notice a sign for a hotline for domestic abuse. At first I am saddened that we need such signs. Then I am relieved that we are beginning to acknowledge that domestic abuse happens even in the Jewish community. 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 >

Click HERE for an audio recording of this D'var Torah A D'var Torah for Parashat Shoftim By Rabbi Jill Hackell ('13) I’ve been studying a lot lately about trees. Dr. Suzanne Simard has spearheaded research showing that the trees of the forest communicate with each other through an elaborate system of fungi attached to their roots, Read More >

BIB 101 Introduction to Bible Dr. Ora Horn Prouser This course will introduce the student to modern critical studies of the Bible. Selected texts of the Bible will be studied in-depth while broader thematic issues will be surveyed. Various methodologies used by biblical scholars will be introduced to the students. The many Read More >

Parashat Vayeitzei was my bat mitzvah portion, and while I remember chanting the Haftarah on Friday night and reading a speech I wrote (with lots of my father’s help!) about it, it wasn’t until AJR’s retreat where we explored this parashah through song, dance, art, intensive study and more that I realized how special it was, and how it spoke to me personally.

The saying goes, “you can take the kid out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the kid.” How and where we grow up has a huge influence on how we move forward and live the rest of our lives.