Our Torah portion this week shares: “On the day that the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Pact; and in the evening it rested over the Tabernacle in the likeness of fire until morning. It was always so: the cloud covered it, appearing as fire by night. Whenever the cloud lifted from the Tent, the Israelites would set out accordingly; and at the spot where the cloud settled, there the Israelites would make camp.”* Torah is amazing, we read it every year and like the Sages of Pirkei Avot remind us, we turn it, turn it, and turn it again because we change and evolve every year, yet the ancient text remains. This year, I read the text of this week’s Torah portion from a bench by the lake at URJ Camp Coleman, where I’m serving as a rabbi on faculty for the week. Camp doesn’t operate quite like the strict schedule of the Tabernacle. Camp has an amazing “go with the flow” culture that disrupts the rigid schedules that most of our day-to-day lives … [Read more...]
Camp
“Honor your father and your mother.” -Exodus 20:12
Originally celebrated in 1910, becoming a national holiday under President Nixon in 1972 (58 years after Mother’s Day was ordained), today’s Father’s Day is a classic Hallmark Holiday steeped in consumerism, commercialism, and that spark of joy that seems to keep the holiday rolling. Progressive minds shake a fist to the gender divide of Father’s and Mother’s Days, why not a Parent’s/Parents’ Day, it is 2019, after all? (A totally fair question, after all, in Israel, “Family Day” takes place on the 30th of the Hebrew month Shevat.) But alas, the tradition of Father’s Day continues to appear on the calendar year after year celebrating fathers and the men who raised us. How can we add a bit of Judaism to this otherwise secular (though not absent of church influence in its origin) day? For those who celebrate, I invite you to begin the day in gratitude toward the father figure for whom you are celebrating. In Jewish tradition, we begin each morning in gratitude to God with the prayer, … [Read more...]
Shavuot, Sinai and Zion
Shavuot, the celebration of the gift of Torah, begins this Saturday night. After forty-nine long days of counting from Pesach, we have arrived at the moment of revelation at Mt. Sinai. There are many traditional texts to study on Shavuot: the Ten Commandments, the Book of Ruth, or Pirkei Avot. All of these texts are worthwhile, but I would like to draw our attention to the context of this great revelatory moment—it happens in the Wilderness. The gift of Torah is not given in the Land of Israel, not in Jerusalem, nor on Mt. Zion. Instead, the Torah is given in a place that could be anywhere. Though many believe they know the location of Mt. Sinai, no one can be certain. The beauty of Torah and the scene at Mt. Sinai is that it places holiness outside of the Land of Israel. The location of God’s revelation is a message for us—Jews living comfortably outside of the Land—Torah, like us, is part of our experience in the Wilderness. The heart of the Jewish people is our collective story, our … [Read more...]
Love Transcends
Towards the end of our services each Shabbat, we do something very beautiful- we recall those whom we have loved but who have died, and with their names on our lips and their image in our minds, we recite the Mourner’s Kaddish. Yidgadal V’yitkadash Shmey raba… For most of my life, I found this timing to be confusing and out of synch with a typical Shabbat service. My reasoning was always that it seemed disjointed to have such a macabre sentiment at the end of what was (otherwise) a joyous worship celebration. However, with age (and maybe a bit of wisdom), I now see the Mourner’s Kaddish at the end of our Shabbat service as magnificently and courageously placed by our sages. For what the Mourner’s Kaddish does is bring the memories of folks who were absolutely dear to the forefront of our mind, as if their presence was invited into the Sanctuary, and for a moment, is able to linger with us. The Mourner’s Kaddish serves then, not as a ‘downer’, but rather as a wormhole through space … [Read more...]
We are All Renters
In the ten years since the sub-prime mortgage crisis, we have all become keenly aware that home ownership, wealth, or success are all tenuous. Our parasha this week, B’har teaches this wisdom in a radical way. The Torah says that all of humanity are just residents living on God’s land. Our hubris might tell us that we own “x amount of acres” or square feet, but the Torah is clear in its understanding of who owns the land. As far as landlords go, God is a pretty good one to have. In the Torah, God promises that the Israelites will flourish on the land for as long as they follow God’s ways: giving tzedakah, treating others with dignity, and taking care of the earth. We will suffer in equal ways if we disobey God’s standards. It’s not that God doesn’t believe in private property; rather, this radical law is meant to loosen the vice grip we may have around owning “stuff.” In essence, God’s proclamation that we are but renters on the land is meant to remind us that there are many, many more … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- …
- 75
- Next Page »