Every year we study once again the account of the moment when our people stood at the foot of Mt Sinai, witnessed a revelation, and became a community. Literally a “peak moment,” our commentators teach that this was the only time in all the history of our People of Israel when we were of oneContinue reading “Shabbat Mishpatim / Shabbat Shekalim: Community – The Difficulty Is In the Details”
Monthly Archives: February 2017
Prayer for Standing Rock
Let us rest, our God, in peace. And let us get up to life. Awaken us to another day of action, of solidarity and support. Lift us out of slumber with a resounding affirmation of life and those who protect the living earth. Spread out over us a sukkah of peace, and give us goodContinue reading “Prayer for Standing Rock”
Shabbat Yitro: Community comes from Sinai
On this Shabbat Yitro our parashat hashavua describes the moment of standing at Sinai, that moment that made us a community. Close readers of the Torah such as our ancient and modern commentators and interpreters have long noted that the Torah speaks of those who came out of Egypt as an erev-rav, a “mixed multitude,”Continue reading “Shabbat Yitro: Community comes from Sinai”
Shabbat Bo: Come to The Hard Place
Bo el Par’oh, Moshe is commanded at the beginning of our parashah: “come to Pharaoh”. Many have asked: why “come”, when the right verb should be “go”? To consider this we first should look at a different, but possibly related, question. This parashat hashavua describes the escalating tensions between Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and theContinue reading “Shabbat Bo: Come to The Hard Place”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 