Category Archives: Uncategorized

Shabbat Ki Tisa: What Are You Doing For Pesakh?

As we know, the days marked as holy for recalling and reliving the Exodus from Egypt have marked the Jewish people and Jewish culture profoundly; for thousands of years the Jewish story has been retold every year as part of our human celebration of the spring season. We need to tell this story; we needContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tisa: What Are You Doing For Pesakh?”

Shabbat Zakhor: Fear of G*d

The learning of this week’s parashah all comes down to a confrontation between Shifra and Pu’ah, on one side, and Amalek, on the other. Shifra and Pu’ah were the Hebrew midwives whom Pharaoh commanded to carry out his plan to eradicate the Hebrews by killing all the boy babies as they were born. But the midwivesContinue reading “Shabbat Zakhor: Fear of G*d”

PDX Never Again: a response to the bomb threat at the Mittleman JCC, Portland OR

PDX Never Again statement in response to bomb threat at Mittleman Jewish Community Center and similar occurences nationwide: We are at an inflection point in our nation’s history. In the past few months, we have seen an upswing in hate crimes, violence, vandalism, and threats made against marginalized individuals and communities across the country. AsContinue reading “PDX Never Again: a response to the bomb threat at the Mittleman JCC, Portland OR”

Shabbat Mishpatim / Shabbat Shekalim: Community – The Difficulty Is In the Details

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”

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”

Shabbat Va’Era: Reveal Yourself

In last week’s parashat hashavua we witnessed a rapid transition in which the people of Israel went from a good life in Exile to a persecuted, miserable slavery. At the end of the  parashah Moshe, after his first attempt to organize the people of Israel, is discouraged. וַיָּשָׁב מֹשֶׁה אֶל י-ה, וַיֹּאמַר:  אד-נָי, לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתָהContinue reading “Shabbat Va’Era: Reveal Yourself”

Do Not Oppress the Stranger

A group of ragged refugees from Egypt millennia ago created the ancient Sacred Scriptures of Judaism. Shared by Islam and adopted by Christianity, they proclaim no less than thirty-six times “You shall not oppress the stranger. You know the feelings of the stranger, for you have been strangers yourself.” The Sacred scriptures of the UnitedContinue reading “Do Not Oppress the Stranger”

Shabbat Shemot: A New King Arose Who Did Not Know Joseph

Now there arose a new king who did not know Joseph (Ex.1.8) – These words from the opening of the Book Shemot, Exodus, rise up, an uncanny echo reverberating through history, mocking those of us who think that the Torah is tamed and not so up to date. These are the words that greet usContinue reading “Shabbat Shemot: A New King Arose Who Did Not Know Joseph”