Redemption: Passover meals and prayers
The holiday of Passover is full of imagery of redemption and freedom. We talk about the idea of going "me'avdut l'cherut" (from slavery to freedom) and "mi'geulah li'geulah" (from redemption to...
View ArticleD'var Torah: Korach
This week's Torah portion continues the narrative of the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar). It is, for at least the first half, a powerful, compelling narrative, full of rebellion against Moses and Aaron,...
View ArticleD'var Torah Beshalach: On God's Agency
In this week's parsha, Exodus 13:17-17:16, we get a daring escape, a song of victory, a day of rest, a great food, and perhaps a bit of genocide on the side. For the bonus round, we get another song...
View ArticleD'var Torah: Tetzaveh/Zachor
For this week's Torah portion, we have something of a double header. First, the weekly portion is Tetzaveh, which continues last week's focus on the creation of the Tabernacle. In addition, we get a...
View ArticleD'var Torah: Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach
Shabbat this week, in the Intermediate Days (Chol HaMoed) of Passover, has a trio of major readings. The Torah reading, Exodus 33:12-34:26, covers the period immediately after the sin of the Golden...
View ArticleOn Creating Memory: Holocaust Memorial Day
Memory is a funny word. People have memory. They remember. Events can be memories. They are remembered, but they also cause people to, in turn, retain those memories. Memories are not histories-...
View ArticleD'var Torah- Va'era
In this week's parsha, Exodus 6:2-9:35 we get to a lot of the major action in the book of Exodus. Having approached Pharaoh last week, and gotten rebuffed immediately, Moses and Aaron prepare to bring...
View ArticleOf Golden Calfs and Silver Sheqels (D'var Torah Ki Tissa)
This Shabbat’s parsha is Ki Tissa. It’s one of my favorite weekly readings of the Torah- after a couple of weeks of tabernacle-building-instructions, we get a reprieve with the storyline, including...
View ArticleD’var Torah: Parshat Vayechi
This week we reach the end of the book of Genesis, as we read Genesis 47:28-50:26, and its accompanying Haftorah, I Kings 2:1-12. Having dispensed with most of the action of the book, and with most of...
View ArticleD'var Torah: Parshat Tzav and Shabbat HaGadol
Having gotten into the Book of Leviticus, it can be hard to relate to the Torah. We enter a period of discussing sacrifices, and in this particular weekly section (Leviticus 6:1-8:36), that’s pretty...
View ArticleA reflection privilege
This isn’t specifically about White privilege. It’s not specifically about gender based privilege. Nor is it about privilege in terms of sexuality. Instead, it’s a rumination on privilege from an...
View ArticleWhy I’m Still Debating Who to Vote for Tomorrow
Despite the long running primary season- and even (or especially) as a political junkie, it feels like years now- I’m still deciding which Democrat to support here in New York tomorrow. I have reasons...
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