begin with this blessing for all ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שאשני בצלמו barukh atah Ad-nai Eloheynu melekh ha’olam sheh’asani b’tzalmo I give thanks that I am created in in Image of G*d choose the appropriate continuation/s for a non-binary person ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שעשני כרצונו barukh atah Ad-nai EloheynuContinue reading “Shabbat Naso: In Honor of Pride, Queer Morning Blessings”
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Shabbat BeHukotai: How to Choose Blessing Over Curse
Our parashat hashavua, our Torah reading for the week, is BeHukotai, which can be translated as “in all these laws.” The parashah itself is famous for a horrifying list of curses that we are told will befall us if we turn away from the good path of life. Longstanding Jewish tradition bids us chant thisContinue reading “Shabbat BeHukotai: How to Choose Blessing Over Curse”
Shabbat HaGadol: It Matters Now, Too
This Shabbat is called Shabbat HaGadol, the “great Shabbat,” possibly echoing the content of the special Haftarah chanted on this day, which speaks of a “great and terrible day” which is coming. הִנֵּ֤ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ שֹׁלֵ֣חַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם ה’ הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא׃ Here, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before theContinue reading “Shabbat HaGadol: It Matters Now, Too”
Shabbat HaHodesh: Homelessness and Hope
On this Shabbat HaHodesh (The Month) we mark the first day of the month of Nisan, which, since it is the first of months in our calendar, is also the first day of the Jewish year. Happy New Year! Our people took their timing from the world around them, which renewed itself in buds ofContinue reading “Shabbat HaHodesh: Homelessness and Hope”
Shabbat Parah: Being Seen (Trans Visibility Shabbat)
This Shabbat we mark another of the special Shabbatot that count down (up, rather) to Pesakh: this Shabbat which is Shemini in our regular cycle of readings is also Shabbat Parah, named for a red heifer. Each of the special readings added during this time brings our attention to an important aspect of the Festival ofContinue reading “Shabbat Parah: Being Seen (Trans Visibility Shabbat)”
Shabbat Tzav: how to Keep that Fire Burning
This evening as Shabbat begins, the holiday of Purim finally ends, with the extra day called Shushan Purim, the Purim celebrated one day later by those who live in cities that were walled at the time of the Purim story, which takes place in ancient Persia (during the First Exile, 586-520 BCE, when the Jewish refugeesContinue reading “Shabbat Tzav: how to Keep that Fire Burning”
Shabbat VaYikra: Salaam, Shalom, Peace
This week our parashat hashavua is VaYikra, which translates as a calling upon, or calling out – out loud. G*d calls upon Moshe to act to evoke holiness in the world, and G*d similarly calls upon us. Though we do not hear a voice, we can sometimes feel that there is something that we areContinue reading “Shabbat VaYikra: Salaam, Shalom, Peace”
Shabbat Pekudey, Adar II Begins: Don’t Burn the Day
These days, being happy is not easy. Reasons to be sad, to be worried, or to be outraged are easy to find – and late winter’s gloomy chill doesn’t do much to lighten the mood. Even as I have heard some say that Tisha B’Av is impossible in Portland Oregon because the weather is soContinue reading “Shabbat Pekudey, Adar II Begins: Don’t Burn the Day”
Shabbat VaYakhel: Holiness and Desecration
Last week our parashat hashavua related a low moment for our people, in which our lack of trust in each other and lack of commitment to our values led to what is called in Jewish tradition hillul haShem, the desecration of the Name of G*d. This is a much-misunderstood term which has not lost itsContinue reading “Shabbat VaYakhel: Holiness and Desecration”
Shabbat Ki Tisa: At One Ment
Atonement is really At-One-Ment. This lovely play on the English word conveys the truth that the Jewish concept of “sin” is simply that which separates us from each other, and from the wholeness to which we are meant to belong. It is a “missing the mark” which leaves us feeling alone and vulnerable. The onlyContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tisa: At One Ment”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 