not every boundary, or border, is healthy אַל־תַּ֭סֵּג גְּב֣וּל עוֹלָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עָשׂ֣וּ אֲבוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ Do not move the long-standing boundary marker which your ancestors have established – Mishle (Proverbs) 22.28 In this, the third year of the Triennial Cycle of Torah, we discover the benefits of having our attention forced away from the marquee event (Jacob’sContinue reading “Shabbat VaYetze: Rough Neighborhood”
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Shabbat Toldot: Parental Blessings, Sibling Rivalry
As we enter the most difficult time of the year for those who feel any kind of pain or regret related to their family of origin, our Torah offers for our consideration an ancient story of family discord. It touches upon favoritism vs aptitude, truth vs smoothing relationships, avoidance vs honesty. Most of all, though,Continue reading “Shabbat Toldot: Parental Blessings, Sibling Rivalry”
Shabbat Hayye Sarah: The Opposite of Despair
If you have been watching the news with anything like the frequency of the average person in the U.S. over the past few weeks, you may rightly be feeling overwhelmed. The urge to despair is strong for those of us who believe that the most recent election results are catastrophic for human rights, civil rights,Continue reading “Shabbat Hayye Sarah: The Opposite of Despair”
Shabbat VaYera: Apocalypse Now
apokalysis, the Greek word for “revelation”, means not “ending” but “unveiling”…not “closure” but “disclosure” – that is, opening. A chance to open our eyes? But to what? -Ayana Mathis, “Imprinted by Belief: Apocalypse” NYTimes book review April 21 2024 Only four weeks ago we began again to immerse ourselves in the endless sea of TorahContinue reading “Shabbat VaYera: Apocalypse Now”
Shabbat Lekh L’kha: Avraham did nothing (alone)
עֲשָׂרָה שֶׁיּוֹשְׁבִין וְעוֹסְקִין בַּתּוֹרָה, שְׁכִינָה שְׁרוּיָה בֵינֵיהֶם Ten who are sitting together and engaging in Torah, the Divine Presence rests among them (Pirke Avot 3.6) In our parashat hashavua, the weekly reading of the Torah, we begin the story of Abraham (originally Avram) who is seen as the ancestor of the Jewish people. As ourContinue reading “Shabbat Lekh L’kha: Avraham did nothing (alone)”
Shabbat Noah: The End of the World As We Know It (and I feel fine?)
אלה תולדות נח [נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו] א”ר יוחנן בדורותיו ולא בדורות אחרים וריש לקיש אמר בדורותיו כ”ש בדורות אחרים With regard to the verse: These are the generations of Noah; Noah was a righteous man, and wholehearted in his generations (Genesis 6:9), Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Relative to the other people of hisContinue reading “Shabbat Noah: The End of the World As We Know It (and I feel fine?)”
Shabbat Bereshit: Beginning Again, With You
The Thing Is To love life, to love it even when you have no stomach for it and everything you’ve held dear crumbles like burnt paper in your hands, your throat filled with the silt of it. When grief sits with you, its tropical heat thickening the air, heavy as water more fit for gillsContinue reading “Shabbat Bereshit: Beginning Again, With You”
Shabbat Ki Tavo: Change Is The Only Certainty
וּנְתַנֶּה תֹּקֶף קְדֻשַּׁת הַיּוֹם כִּי הוּא נוֹרָא וְאָיֹם וּבוֹ תִּנָּשֵׂא מַלְכוּתֶךָ וְיִכּוֹן בְּחֶסֶד כִּסְאֶךָ וְתֵשֵׁב עָלָיו בְּאֱמֶת We recognize the power of the holiness of this day; it is terrifying and awesome, and on it we see that we are overwhelmed, we are caught by truth, and we are desperately in need of compassion.Continue reading “Shabbat Ki Tavo: Change Is The Only Certainty”
Shabbat Ki Tetze: Tit For Tat?
“an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” – Variously attributed to both the Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, but also already expressed in the legislation of the ancient rabbis of the Talmud In this preparatory period which is the month of Elul, we are encouraged by our tradition to believeContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tetze: Tit For Tat?”
Shabbat Shoftim: Don’t Be Like Them, Be Like You
כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־ה’ אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם׃ When you enter the land that your God ‘ה is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. (Devarim 18.9) מֶען טָאר זִיךְ נִישְׁט מְיַאֵשׁ זַיין – Men tor zich nisht m’ya’esh zayn “It is forbiddenContinue reading “Shabbat Shoftim: Don’t Be Like Them, Be Like You”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 