The Still, Small Voice This week our parashat hashavua narrates a – literally – peak moment in the Israelite story: the revelation at Mt Sinai. It’s a moment that our ancestors assumed was full of intensity and the resultant stress. One midrash goes so far as to aver that our ancestors died when they heardContinue reading “Shabbat Yitro: Silence”
Tag Archives: judaism
Shabbat VaYigash: Now I Can Die
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶל־יוֹסֵ֖ף אָמ֣וּתָה הַפָּ֑עַם אַחֲרֵי֙ רְאוֹתִ֣י אֶת־פָּנֶ֔יךָ כִּ֥י עוֹדְךָ֖ חָֽי׃ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I can die, having seen for myself that you are still alive.” (Gen. 46.30) This is the time of year for darkness, and as light recedes our metaphors turn to death. The solstice festivals summon light, as ifContinue reading “Shabbat VaYigash: Now I Can Die”
Shabbat Miketz: Why Bother?
“there is no light that does not come from the midst of darkness.” – Zohar, Tetzaveh, 184 This Shabbat is the third day of Hanukkah. In traditional practice, with each night of Hanukkah we add light, symbolizing thereby the sense that, each day that it continued to shine, the light was more and more astounding.Continue reading “Shabbat Miketz: Why Bother?”
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 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”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 