Just before Shabbat entered the world last Friday evening, a tragedy occurred in Portland. Two men who tried to intervene in the harassment of two teenage Muslim women were murdered. By Shabbat afternoon, over a thousand people had come together to mourn, to comfort each other and to encourage each other and ourselves to continueContinue reading “Standing Up Is Dangerous, Yet We Must Stand Up”
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Shabbat BaMidbar: Fire, Water and Wilderness
The name of our parashah this week is the same as the name of the Book we are now beginning, once again, to study: BaMidbar, “in the wilderness,” the Book called Numbers in English. So far in our journey from Egypt toward that which is Promised, our Torah has recounted for us the escape itself, theContinue reading “Shabbat BaMidbar: Fire, Water and Wilderness”
Shabbat BeHar/BeHukkotai: Taking Refuge in the PaRDeS of Learning
Yesterday I was on a conference call with a national social justice organization, during which we were told that “usually, we expect to operate with a six-month window. Lately we have revised that to six days.” Such is the sense of frantic, non-stop chaos in the political sphere of our nation’s existence. Thank G*d thatContinue reading “Shabbat BeHar/BeHukkotai: Taking Refuge in the PaRDeS of Learning”
May Day: Short Sighted Police Leadership
I submitted this letter to the Oregonian but I can’t even find the responses they published to the “hot button” question regarding whether the police were too harsh on May Day at the rally and march downtown. I don’t think they published my response – so here it is. The actions of the Portland PoliceContinue reading “May Day: Short Sighted Police Leadership”
Shabbat Emor: Why Bother?
“You shall not cause My holy Name to be hollowed out and meaningless.” (Lev.22.32) This mitzvah from the parashat hashavua may seem obscure, especially when it is translated in the traditional way: “profaned.” But it’s actually a very relevant concept. A Jew causes the Name to be “profaned,” i.e. meaningless, when that Jew who is knownContinue reading “Shabbat Emor: Why Bother?”
Shabbat Akharei Mot-Kedoshim: Choices Don’t Free You, They Distract You
On any given day, we are confronted with choices, and have to make a decision regarding how best to choose; that is, how best to live. In some ways we imagine that our lives are so much better than our ancestors, who, we presume, made their choices from a much narrower range of options, andContinue reading “Shabbat Akharei Mot-Kedoshim: Choices Don’t Free You, They Distract You”
May Day Portland 2017
On Monday, some of us gathered at the Park Blocks at 1pm. We witnessed an hour of dancing – skilled indigenous dancers and drummers in beautiful costumes demonstrating their art in honor of the international workers’ day. Then at about 2pm we heard an hour’s worth of speakers: leaders and activists in communities such asContinue reading “May Day Portland 2017”
Shabbat Shemini: What’s Kosher and What’s Treyf
This week in parashat Shemini the Torah sets out the law of kashrut, the ancient Israelite guide to good eating. At first glance, you may assume that you will be given a list of what’s kosher and what’s treyf. What’s fascinating is that in all of chapter 11 of the book of Leviticus the word kasher,Continue reading “Shabbat Shemini: What’s Kosher and What’s Treyf”
The Last Days of Pesakh 5777: The Plagues Today
Pesakh 5777 is drawing to a close, but the struggle for freedom continues, even as our struggle to stay mindful of the pain of others, caused sometimes by our own struggle, continues. “The pain of others diminishes our own joys,” and as long as anyone is suffering from the labor pains of the freedom forContinue reading “The Last Days of Pesakh 5777: The Plagues Today”
Shabbat HaGadol: Being Commanded isn’t Enough, and Neither is Being Free
The days before and after Shabbat haGadol, “the Great Shabbat,” are meant to be a time of excitement and joy, of running around to find the best ingredients and the nicest symbolic foods for our Seder. It’s a time to clean house, to bring out the Pesakh plates and the “good” utensils in honor ofContinue reading “Shabbat HaGadol: Being Commanded isn’t Enough, and Neither is Being Free”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 