13 maja 2016/5 ijar 5776 On the surface, wool and linen don’t seem like that dangerous of a mixture, yet in the midst of this week’s parsha, we are commanded to never blend them: “You shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; […]
Dvar Torah Acharei; Counting the Days
April 29th, 2016/28 Nisan 5776 Earlier this week, after an amazing nine months in Poland, I returned to the United States. The plane flight was long, as it always is, but it also gave me plenty of time to think and reflect. As the plane headed west and chased the daylight, the jet lag started […]
Dvar Torah Pesach
“All real living is meeting” -Martin Buber Nisan 21, 5776 On this final Shabbat of Pesach and on my final Shabbat in here in Poland, I would like to offer a few thoughts about the meaning of community and about how we can look ahead in our personal and communal journeys. In his book I […]
Dvar Torah Pesach 5776
April 22nd, 2016/14 Nisan 5776 As we gather together for our Pesach seders this week, we hopefully will be blessed not only with good stories and plenty of singing and conversation, but also good food. Of course the most visible difference in the meals we eat during this week is our lack of bread, cakes, […]
Dvar Torah Metzora
April 15th, 2016/7 Nisan 5776 In our Torah portion last week we read the description of people who have the mysterious skin rash tzara’at, and learned what the priest should do to diagnose and care for those who are infected. This week, we move from skin rashes to the even more mysterious house rashes: “When you […]
Shabbat HaChodesh –Beit Ki Tow, Warszawa
Nisan 1 /April 8, 2016 Which was the first commandment (out of 613) that we were commanded as a people? RaShi began his commentary for the Torah by saying that the first ‘mitzvah’ was to begin a new calendar and a new year in the month of spring [Ex.12:2] This commandment is preceded by a […]
Where is the Blame?
April 8th, 2016/29 Adar II 5776 In most cultures and for much of human history, there was no concept of sickness and disease as primarily a “medical” issue, as a problem with our physical bodies. A person did not get sick from bacteria, an infection or a disease. Instead it was often believed that sickness was […]
Between Purim and Passover — Chaos and Order – A New Aspiration for Holiness in Our Time – Part 2
April 1st, 2016/22 Adar II 5776 Shemini Purim marks chaos. Everything is upside down: from the costumes; to the three cornered cookies; to Esther’s strange role; to the strategies for addressing threat; to the noise makers (graggors in Yiddish or Ra’ashanim in Hebrew) for blotting out the name of Haman (Evil). But as we move toward the Passover Seder […]
Holding on to the Joy
Oy, is it nice to have Purim! March 18th, 2016/8 Adar II 5776 Like so many other texts of our tradition, the Purim tale is one of survival and victory over oppression. We have our heros, Mordechai and Esther (and some would argue Vashti), who through creativity and strength manage to save their people and […]
Dvar Torah Vayechel
March 4, 2016 Next week we celebrate International Women’s Day, a day which acknowledges the role that women have played in our society and recognizes the need for continued growth and change as we create a more just and equal world. In our community, this can be a time to reflect not only on women’s […]
Parashat Trumah and our Relationship with God
12 lutego 2016/3 adar I 5776 WITH PARASHAT T’RUMAH WE ENTER INTO THE MISHKAN (TABERNACLE), THE PORTABLE TEMPLE THAT STOOD AS THE HEART OF THE ISRAELITE CAMP DURING THE YEARS OF WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS. IT ALSO SERVED THE ISRAELITES AS A TEMPORARY TEMPLE IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL UNTIL KING SOLOMON BUILT THE BEIT HA-MIKDASH […]
Dvar Torah Tetzaveh
February 19th, 2016/10 Adar I 5776 As I have explored synagogues around the world, it has been fascinating to observe the different customs of how people dress for services. In some communities, it is common for worshipers to attend Shabbat services in jeans, and in others, a suit or dress is the most appropriate and respectable […]
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