5 Tammuz 5780
June 26, 2020 The rebellion of Korach and his allies is recounted in this week’s Torah reading (Numbers 16:1-18:32). The story is fantastical in its depiction of the miraculous way that the…
21 Sivan 5780
June 12, 2020 This week’s Shabbat greetings is a combined influence of the words of Rabbi Bonnie of Temple Chai of Phoenix, AZ and the Rev. John Armstrong of New…
14 Sivan 5780
June 5, 2020 Last week, I explained why we have split up the Torah portion, Naso (Numbers 6:1-7:89) into two parts. This week’s second part includes the famous Birkat HaKohanim – the Priestly…
7 Sivan 5780
May 29, 2020 The first part of the portion of Parshat Naso (Numbers 4:21-5:31) (divided into two weeks when Shavuot occurs on Shabbat so that we can stay in sync with Diaspora…
29 Iyar 5780
May 22, 2020 This portion that begins the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20) is generally read on the Shabbat before the festival of Shavuot – z’man matan torateinu – “the time of the…
22 Iyar 5780
May 15, 2020 The book of Leviticus concludes on this Shabbat in a double portion, Behar-Bechukotai (Leviticus 25:1-27:34) by outlining the blessings that will follow if the people are faithful to their…
15 Iyar 5780
May 8, 2020 Here we are, finishing up the eighth week of our self-quarantine to protect both ourselves and so many around us. I know it has been challenging for…
8 Iyar 5780
May 1, 2020 Once again, this week’s Torah reading, Acharei Mot/Kedoshim (Leviticus 16:1-20:27) is a double portion. In the second part, Kedoshim, we learn of two very powerful commands: “Love your neighbor as…
1 Iyar 5780
April 24, 2020 This week’s double portion, Tazria-Metzora (Leviticus 12:1-15:33), first speaks of the effect of childbirth as a state of ritual impurity and then moves into the medical issue of tzara’at, a…
24 Nisan 5780
April 17, 2020 We read in this week.s portion, Parshat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47), “Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what Adonai meant when God said, Through those near to…