אָר֗וּר מַטֶּ֛ה מִשְׁפַּ֥ט גֵּר־יָת֖וֹם וְאַלְמָנָ֑ה וְאָמַ֥ר כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם אָמֵֽן׃ Cursed be the one who subverts the rights of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.—And all the people shall say, Amen. (Deuteronomy 27.19) Shalom beloveds, On this Shabbat we find our ancestors poised to enter the Land of Promise. Whenever we read about the “Promised Land”Continue reading “Shabbat Ki Tavo: the Promise, the Curse, and the Blessing”
Monthly Archives: August 2026
Shabbat Shoftim: Singular and Plural
ancient wall with gateway at Tel Dan, northern Galilee _______________________________________________________ doing the same thing over and over gets old after a while, so we take a break. Is that all there is to the acts of our lives, and the work of our hands? In their wisdom, our ancestors understood that human nature is changeable;Continue reading “Shabbat Shoftim: Singular and Plural”
Shabbat Ekev: As a Result of Listening
וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃ And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, your God יהוה will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers (Deuteronomy 7.12) Our parasha for this Second Shabbat of ConsolationContinue reading “Shabbat Ekev: As a Result of Listening”
Shabbat Nahamu: The Consolation of Community
on a cold morning a small bird finds warmth clinging to the neck of a neighbor horse This Shabbat is Shabbat Nakhamu, the Shabbat of Consolation. No Shabbat of the year cries out for meaningful community more than this one. Which of us can ever feel completely consoled unless we have been seen? In theContinue reading “Shabbat Nahamu: The Consolation of Community”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 